Meet Mojtaba Khamenei: The Man Now Running Iran's War

The Selection

Iran's Assembly of Experts — the clerical body constitutionally responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader — announced the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei on Sunday, March 8, 2026, ten days into the war. The selection came as fresh missile and drone strikes were still reverberating across the region, per The Guardian.

Iranian institutions responded swiftly. The Guardian reported that Iran's defence council issued a statement reading: "We will obey the commander-in-chief until the last drop of our blood." Iran's foreign ministry, lawmakers, and other institutions issued statements of allegiance. Iranian state television switched from somber war coverage to "upbeat revolutionary anthems" following the selection announcement, per the New York Times. Yemen's Houthi rebels welcomed the appointment, with the group posting on Telegram: "We congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership and people, on the selection of Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at this important and pivotal juncture."

When asked about the appointment in an interview with the Times of Israel published late on March 8, Trump was reported as saying: "We'll see what happens." Earlier the same day, Trump had made clear he considered Mojtaba an "unacceptable" choice and said Iran's next supreme leader was "not going to last long" if Tehran did not get his approval first, per The Guardian.

Trump also told the Times of Israel that a decision on when to end the war would be a "mutual" one, together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Who Is He?

Mojtaba Khamenei was born on September 8, 1969, in the north-eastern Iranian city of Mashhad. He is the second of Ali Khamenei's six children. He received his secondary education at the Alavi School in Tehran, a religious institution, according to BBC.

At 17, during the Iran-Iraq War, Mojtaba served in the military for several short periods, according to Iranian media reported by BBC. The eight-year conflict — in which the United States backed Iraq — shaped the Islamic Republic's deep institutional suspicion of Western powers.

At age 30, Mojtaba went to Qom — a holy city considered the central hub of Shia theology — to begin formal religious studies. BBC noted that it is "more usual" to begin seminary studies in one's younger years, and that it is "unclear why he decided to attend a seminary at 30." He did not wear clerical clothing until this point.

He remains a mid-ranking cleric — not a Grand Ayatollah. BBC reported that before his selection, some Iranian media outlets and officials close to centres of power had begun referring to him as "Ayatollah" — a shift that "appeared to some observers as an attempt to elevate his religious standing and present him as a credible leader." BBC noted that his father, Ali Khamenei, was similarly quickly promoted to "Ayatollah" after he became Iran's second supreme leader in 1989.

"The Power Behind the Robes"

Despite his public invisibility, Mojtaba Khamenei was well-known to Western intelligence. US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks in the late 2000s described him as "the power behind the robes" — a figure "widely regarded as a 'capable and forceful' figure within the regime," per AP News as cited by BBC and NBC News. NBC News added that the cables described him as controlling access to his father and shaping appointments within the system.

The United States sanctioned him in 2019 during Trump's first term, per NBC News.

His influence became publicly visible during the 2005 Iranian presidential election, which resulted in the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi wrote an open letter accusing Mojtaba of interfering in the vote through elements of the IRGC and the Basij militia, which reportedly distributed money to religious groups to ensure Ahmadinejad's victory, per BBC.

The same accusation arose in 2009, when Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election triggered the mass protests known as the Green Movement — the largest domestic uprising against the Islamic Republic since its founding. Some protesters explicitly chanted against the prospect of Mojtaba succeeding his father as supreme leader. Mostafa Tajzadeh, the then-deputy interior minister, described the 2009 result as an "electoral coup." He was subsequently imprisoned for seven years, which he attributed to "the direct wish of Mojtaba Khamenei," per BBC.

A Precedent-Breaking Succession

The Islamic Republic of Iran was founded in 1979 specifically to overthrow hereditary rule — the monarchy of the Shah. Its founding ideology holds that the supreme leader must be selected based on religious standing and proven leadership, not blood succession.

Mojtaba Khamenei's elevation marks the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution that the supreme leadership has passed from father to son, per The Guardian. The Guardian noted this was "a development likely to ignite debate inside Iran about the emergence of a dynastic system in a state founded explicitly to overthrow hereditary rule."

BBC noted that one member of Iran's Assembly of Experts had said two years prior that Ali Khamenei himself opposed the idea of his son being a candidate for future leadership — though Khamenei had never publicly addressed such speculation.

The speed of the succession — just ten days after Ali Khamenei was killed — appeared to preclude any extended deliberation. No images of Mojtaba Khamenei were released following his selection. Reuters reported on March 17 that no new images had been released in the more than a week since his selection.

His First Decisions: No Negotiations

Mojtaba Khamenei's first public message was read out by a state television broadcaster — he did not appear in person. In it, he stated that the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed as a tool of pressure on "Iran's enemies," per Reuters.

On March 17, Reuters published an exclusive based on a senior Iranian official that provided a fuller picture of his first foreign policy stance. The official stated that Mojtaba had held his first foreign policy session since being named supreme leader, and had taken a stance "very tough and serious" toward revenge against the US and Israel. Two intermediary countries had conveyed proposals to Iran's foreign ministry "for reducing tensions or ceasefire with the United States." The supreme leader rejected them, responding — per the official — that it was not "the right time for peace until the United States and Israel are brought to their knees, accept defeat, and pay compensation."

Reuters noted that the supreme leader has the final say in all matters of state in the Islamic Republic. Whether Mojtaba attended the session in person or remotely was not clarified by the official.

Some Iranian officials said he was lightly injured in the strikes that killed his father. US officials have suggested he suffered severe injuries, per Reuters. The discrepancy has not been independently resolved.

The Dynastic Symbolism

Iranian state media showed a projectile said to have been launched at Israel bearing the slogan: "At your command, Sayyid Mojtaba," using an Islamic honorific, per The Guardian. Iran's missile campaign against Israel has continued under his leadership without change in pace or targeting.

His selection also closes off a potential negotiating dynamic: Trump had previously stated he was willing to deal with Iran's leadership, but specifically designated Mojtaba as "unacceptable." With Mojtaba now the established leader — backed by the IRGC, the clerical assembly, and Iran's military-political establishment — the US faces a situation where its stated negotiating counterpart is the same person it has publicly said it does not accept.

The Guardian noted that Trump's characterization of Mojtaba as unacceptable "could lead to a further escalation of the war." As of March 28, no direct communications between the Trump administration and Mojtaba Khamenei have been publicly confirmed. Trump's 15-point ceasefire proposal was sent through Pakistan as an intermediary — Mojtaba rejected it, per Reuters' March 17 reporting.

What Is Not Confirmed

No photographs or video of Mojtaba Khamenei have been released since his selection. The extent of his injuries from the February 28 strikes remains disputed between Iranian and US officials. Whether he is physically directing military operations in person or from a secure location has not been established. The specific process by which the Assembly of Experts reached its decision in ten days — significantly faster than the 1989 succession following Ayatollah Khomeini's death — has not been publicly documented.