Has anyone been keeping up with the news from Iran lately? In fact, Iran has recently undergone a very significant change. The news is that Mojtaba Khamenei has been elected as Iran’s new Supreme Leader.
Honestly, this news was quite shocking to me personally. The Iranian Islamic Revolution was established by overthrowing a hereditary monarchy, so for the son to succeed his father, the former Supreme Leader, is controversial in many ways. Aren’t you curious how he, known as the veiled ‘shadow power,’ came to be the Supreme Leader, and what the current situation is?
The veiled ‘shadow power,’ who is he?
Mojtaba Khamenei was born in Mashhad, Iran, in 1969. He is the second son of the former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Although he has rarely held official public office, he is known to have exerted immense influence behind the scenes of Iranian politics.
Notably, he gained power by forging close relationships with key figures within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and intelligence and security agencies over decades. Furthermore, he holds the clerical rank of ‘Hojatoleslam,’ which is lower than Ayatollah, and since the position of Supreme Leader typically requires religious authority of Grand Ayatollah or higher, his ascension was reportedly highly controversial religiously.
His name began to be known to the public in 2005 when he was suspected of orchestrating the election of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in 2009 when he was implicated in suppressing anti-government protests during the disputed election. Looking at these incidents, it seems he has truly done a lot of work quietly behind the scenes.
March 8, 2026: The Truth of His Ascension to Supreme Leader
On February 28, 2026, a shocking incident occurred: former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei died in an airstrike by the United States and Israel. Shortly thereafter, on March 8, the Assembly of Experts, the constitutional body that elects Iran’s Supreme Leader, announced the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as the third Supreme Leader.
But here’s the irony: Iran overthrew the hereditary rule of the Pahlavi dynasty through the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Yet, with the son succeeding his father as Supreme Leader, criticisms erupted that it ‘directly clashes with the ideals of the revolution.’ There were even rumors that Ali Khamenei himself did not wish for his son to succeed him during his lifetime.
However, there were also reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps strongly supported Mojtaba as Supreme Leader and pressured members of the Assembly of Experts. Former US President Donald Trump even warned, “If Mojtaba becomes leader without our approval, he won’t last long.” The situation is truly complex, isn’t it?
The Vanished Supreme Leader? Recent Rumors of His Health and Iran’s Response
Recently, in early April 2026, rumors of Mojtaba Khamenei‘s health issues arose after he failed to appear in public since his election as Supreme Leader. There were even rumors that he was seriously injured in US and Israeli airstrikes and transferred to Russia.
Former President Trump again fueled the rumors, claiming, “Mojtaba is dead or in a very serious condition. There’s no news at all.” However, Iran and Russia immediately refuted these rumors. The Russian Ambassador to Iran stated, “Mojtaba remains in Iran but is not engaging in public activities for understandable reasons.”
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB released new photos of him, and Mojtaba even conveyed a message urging the public to plant fruit trees in commemoration of martyrs on ‘Nature’s Day.’ Seeing this situation, it’s personally quite intriguing to me that there are various discussions within Iran about his presence and health.
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Mojtaba Khamenei, in what direction will he lead Iran’s future? From being a power behind the scenes to becoming the Supreme Leader, his actions will likely continue to draw global attention.
In this turbulent international situation, the outcome of Iran’s choices will be an important point for all of us to watch.