Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran's new supreme leader

Iran's Assembly of Experts has selected Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran's new supreme leader following his father's death in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Mojtaba, who has largely maintained a low public profile, is a mid-ranking cleric whose selection marks only the third time the position has changed hands since the Islamic Republic's founding in 1979. The appointment has drawn criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump and raised questions about hereditary succession in a republic ideologically opposed to dynastic rule.