Iran’s religious leadership has once again selected a Khamenei as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, appointing Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei to take over from his father, who died on February 28.

At 56, Khamenei is the second son of , who governed the Islamic Republic for 36 of its 47 years following the founder, Ruhollah Khomeini. Mojtaba’s wife and reportedly one of his children also died on the first day of the joint U.S.-Israeli war. Though he has never held an official post, he was known as an influential behind-the-scenes operator who spent years positioning himself to inherit his father’s role—a position that carries nearly unlimited authority without meaningful oversight.

“Ever since rumors started over two decades ago that Mojtaba aimed to succeed his father, I’ve watched with alarm as the necessary elements for what amounts to a dynastic succession fell into place year after year,” stated a political activist, who requested anonymity due to concerns about reprisal.

The appointment also served as a defiant gesture toward Iran’s adversaries, who clearly seek regime change. On March 3, Israel the building where the 88 clerics of the Assembly of Experts were to gather to select a successor. President Donald Trump, who previously called the senior Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history,” had already deemed the younger Khamenei “unacceptable.”

“He’ll need to get our approval,” Trump told ABC News on Sunday, shortly after the selection was reported. “If he doesn’t get our approval, he won’t last long. We want to ensure we don’t have to return every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me who won’t do it.”

The appointment was announced via text message to Iranian citizens, among whom Mojtaba Khamenei has long been known for political intrigue and power maneuvers.

When Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, then a relatively obscure Tehran mayor, was thrust into the presidency in 2005, Mojtaba Khamenei was believed to have engineered the backing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij paramilitary for his campaign. 

Over the years, beneath the calm exterior of studying and teaching at the seminary in the holy city of Qom, increasing claims and rumors described Mojtaba’s growing influence and authority. The consistent theme was that the younger Khamenei retained the same strong backing from the Revolutionary Guards that his father had cultivated—support whose economic, political, and military foundations have all been jeopardized by the extensive U.S. and Israeli airstrikes of the past week. 

On Sunday, the IRGC released a statement vowing “deep respect, total loyalty and absolute obedience.” 

“The Guards aren’t merely fighting for proxy groups or missiles; they’re fighting for their survival,” said another Tehran-based analyst, speaking anonymously. “The cartel they’ve built—an octopus with tentacles reaching into nearly every aspect of Iranian society, from the economy to media to religion—has restricted all other actors and factions within the Islamic Republic.”

“Many of these factions are nearly openly demanding the curtailment and even dissolution of the Guards. If anyone from these factions were to become the new leader, the Guards’ days would be numbered,” he added.

The strikes on Iran may have cleared the path for Mojtaba’s ascent, but they afford him little opportunity to alter the nation’s trajectory. Instead, the war has reinforced the country’s “revolutionary” ideology, positioning Iran as a global opponent of Western dominance, and provided the new leader with a personal motive for animosity toward the U.S.

“If there was ever even the faintest possibility that Mojtaba Khamenei might steer the country toward major reforms, like those undertaken by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, which would involve rapprochement with America, that’s now gone,” the analyst said. “Mojtaba didn’t only lose a father that day—he lost a mother, a wife, and a child. He’s consumed by an everlasting thirst for vengeance, and the Guards are aware of this.”

Trump’s opposition to Khamenei’s son may have actually facilitated his rise.

“Although it was always very likely that Khamenei’s son would succeed him, other factions had been making increasing efforts to influence the 88 members of the Experts Assembly in recent months,” the activist said. “But when Trump, the regime’s arch-enemy, declared he would not accept Mojtaba Khamenei, his election became almost certain. Anyone who opposed him could readily be branded as siding with America.”

Worries that the new leader might be targeted could also account for the staggered timing of the announcement, which came five days after it was initially leaked. The postponement enabled the declaration to align with a day of special religious significance on the Shiite calendar, while also ensuring his protection from inevitable attacks by the United States and Israel.

“Guaranteeing the safety of the new leader is even more critical than the manner of his selection,” said Ali Gholhaki, a hardline columnist with close connections to the security apparatus, in a social media post.

“We must stop the recurrence of recent tragic events,” he said, alluding to the assassination of the senior Khamenei.