According to Iranian state media, Mojtaba Khamenei has been announced as the country’s new supreme leader following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in U.S.-Israeli attacks. The news came in a broadcast on Monday night. Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56‑year‑old cleric, has yet to hold a government post and survived the military strikes that targeted Iran.
The appointment was made unanimously by the Assembly of Experts-a body of 88 elected senior clerics tasked with choosing the supreme leader. Historically, this Assembly selected a new leader only once, after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s death, which brought Ali Khamenei to the position.
After Ali Khamenei’s passing, a three‑member council was established to govern the nation on a provisional basis. The council comprised President Masoud Piezeshkian, the reformist executive; Gholam‑Hossein Mohseni Ejazi, the hard‑line head of the judiciary; and Alireza Arafi, a jurist who also leads the Basij volunteer militia.
