Israeli media has claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has taken an extraordinary step by naming potential successors, including his son and three senior clerics, amid fears for his life following Israeli attacks.
Among the reported successors, Ayatollah Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is said to wield significant influence within Iran’s government, security apparatus, and religious leadership. He is reportedly positioning himself to assume an increasingly central role in Iran’s power structure.
It is also being reported that Ayatollah Khamenei hasn’t limited his contingency planning to religious appointments alone; he has also formally outlined a new military chain of command within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei is the second of Ayatollah Khamenei’s four sons and has two sisters. Born in 1969 in Mashhad, Mojtaba pursued religious studies at the Qom seminary, becoming not only a cleric but also a politically influential figure in Iran.
He actively participated in the Iran-Iraq war through the Basij paramilitary force and later developed deep influence within both the Supreme Leader’s office and the IRGC.
Mojtaba reportedly played a critical role in quelling anti-government protests following Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential elections. Despite not holding any formal government position, he is regarded as a silent yet powerful figure, believed to hold significant sway over Iran’s key political decisions.
Speculation about Mojtaba being groomed as his father’s successor has surfaced repeatedly over the years, given his entrenched influence across Iran’s religious, military, and political establishments.
![Local residents at the Swat River, which is overflowing due to pre-monsoon heavy rains in the area on the outskirts of Mingora, the main town of Pakistan's Swat Valley [Sherin Zada/AP]](https://mmnews.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Flooding-in-Swat-river-120x86.jpg)
