Meet Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's New Supreme Leader
Iran’s Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 clerics, Sunday March 08, 2026 appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader of Iran.
Tehran: Iran’s Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 clerics, Sunday March 08, 2026 appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader of Iran.
"By a decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the assembly said in a statement.
Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. He has been appointed as the country's Supreme Leader after the assassination of his father by the U.S.-Israeli forces.
56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei is the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The first two are Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei.
The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei is seen as an act of defiance as U.S. President Donald Trump, amid the US-Israeli war against Iran, had said the new leaders should have his “approval”.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Born in 1969 in the holy city of Mashhad, Mojtaba Khamenei is the second son of Ali Khamenei, who shouldered the responsibility for 37 years after the passing of the founder of the Islamic Revolution Khomeini.
Mojtaba Khamenei spent his formative years in Tehran, completing his secondary education at the renowned Alavi School, an institution known for nurturing many prominent figures of the Islamic Republic’s intellectual and political life.
His early youth coincided with one of the most turbulent periods in modern Iranian history. He had participated in the Iran-Iraq War at the age of 17. After the war, in 1989, he moved to Qom to begin advanced seminary studies. He remained there until early 1992 before returning to Tehran, where he continued his religious education for five years.
In 1997, Mojtaba married Zahra Haddad Adel. She was also killed in the US-Israeli joint military strikes in Tehran on Feb 28, 2026. The couple has three children, two sons, Mohammad‑Bagher and Mohammad Amin, and a daughter, Fatemeh.
During the tenure of his father Ali Khamenei as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, he assisted him, and acted as one of his advisors, in overseeing a number of important national affairs.
The government claimed the Iranians are pledging allegiance to the "New Supreme Leader". His elevation, however, appears to have sparked dissent among sections of Iranian society and political figures who have criticised the perceived hereditary transfer of power, comparing it to monarchical rule under the shah, who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Israel has described Mojtaba Khamenei as a potential target. U.S. President Trump has also criticised his elevation.
“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran”, Trump said.
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