Active politician with ideas of the Islamic Revolution, more radical than his father. Who is Mojtaba Khamenei

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However, there is no official confirmation from Tehran yet, and within the clergy itself, there are concerns that a public announcement of the successor's name could make him a primary target for the US and Israel. What is known about Mojtaba Khamenei and how regional experts characterize him — in the material from "Novaya-Europe".

According to sources from The New York Times and Iran International, Iran's Assembly of Experts — the highest clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader — held a meeting on March 2, where the main favorite for the position became 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who passed away over the weekend.

As The New York Times reported, citing three Iranian officials familiar with the situation, the clergy is considering officially announcing a new successor, but there is no consensus on this issue.

US President Donald Trump at a press conference on Tuesday already expressed concern that a person "as bad as the previous one" could become the new leader of Iran, which the US would not want to allow.

If the Council chooses Mojtaba, it will mean the final victory of the regime's most radical wing, closely linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Vali Nasr, an Iran expert at Johns Hopkins University, told The New York Times.

In his opinion, this will show that it is the IRGC that now controls the situation in the country.

According to sources from The New York Times, it was the IRGC that actively lobbied for his appointment, insisting that in conditions of the most acute crisis, the country needs a leader who already has experience in managing security and military structures.

Mojtaba Khamenei's candidacy as a successor has been considered for a long time, said Mariana Belenkaya, author of the Telegram channel "Falafelnya", which covers Middle East events. According to her, this was the subject of many years of discussions — unofficial, because a successor was never officially appointed.

— Moreover, initially it was said that this option was unlikely, because Khamenei Sr. himself was allegedly against the hereditary transfer of power.

So that it would not be associated with Shahist Iran, with monarchy (the Islamic Revolution of 1979 proclaimed the creation of an Islamic Republic where power cannot be inherited, as it was under the monarchy; the supreme leader must be elected by the Assembly of Experts). But gradually, apparently, the situation changed, she said.

As Orientalist and NEST Centre expert Ruslan Suleymanov told "Novaya-Europe", if the Iranian authorities indeed made such a decision, then it is clear: in conditions of external threat, the regime decided not to change course and to continue the policy that Khamenei Sr. pursued.

— Mojtaba Khamenei is known for enjoying support not only in religious circles but also among security forces, primarily in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

On the other hand, there are many in Iran who believe that Mojtaba should not hold this position, as his appointment, in essence, copies the dynastic principle that existed under the Shah and the monarchy.

But, again, given the unprecedented conditions under which the transition of power is taking place, perhaps such a decision was made, said the interlocutor of "Novaya-Europe".

It is premature to talk about any new course that will fundamentally differ from what was under Ali Khamenei, Suleymanov believes; at least as long as hostilities continue. In general, according to him, in the event of Mojtaba's election, the Iranian regime will remain as it was under Khamenei Sr.

At the same time, as Mariana Belenkaya emphasized, Mojtaba is considered more radical than his father: he actively participated in suppressing the 2009 protests, and was always closely associated with the Basij — the IRGC militia that plays a key role in suppressing popular uprisings.

— He was brought up within the system, in seminaries, made a career, becoming an active politician with the ideas of the Islamic Revolution, to which he is undoubtedly loyal. He will also be fueled by a sense of revenge and a sense of duty towards his father. And he perfectly understands that now he is the next target, she says.

In addition, as Belenkaya notes, Mojtaba always remained in the shadows and never held official political positions, so he may turn out to be a "dark horse." Moreover, in recent years we do not know for sure how much his father retained real power, and how much Mojtaba was already influencing decision-making, emphasizes the interlocutor of "Novaya-Europe".

But even if he himself does not become the supreme leader, there are several candidates who could be his proteges, Belenkaya noted.

"No time for a power struggle." Who else is being considered for the position of Supreme Leader of Iran

The reports that appeared in Iran International and The New York Times are themselves capable of influencing the situation in Iran, notes Ruslan Suleymanov: we do not know for sure whether Mojtaba was actually elected. And now, according to him, the Iranian leadership finds itself in a difficult trap.

— If they choose Mojtaba, it might look like a concession to external pressure, like playing along with emigrant media. If they don't choose him, they will alienate that part of the security and religious elite that wanted to see him in this position. But in any case, since the regime is now fighting for survival, internal division recedes into the background. They simply have no time for a power struggle.

And even if Mojtaba Khamenei really became the supreme leader, he now has no time to sort out relations with competitors or opponents of his election, he says.

Against this background, two other alternative candidates are also being considered for the position of supreme leader, The New York Times reports: these are Alireza Arafi, a cleric and jurist who is part of the temporary three-person transitional council formed after the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, and Sayed Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, known for his closeness to the sidelined reformist wing.

In addition, according to the Arab news channel "Al-Hadath", other candidates are also being discussed. Among them:

• Hassan Rouhani, former president and member of the Assembly of Experts (the very body that will elect the new supreme leader);
• Sadeq Amoli Larijani, who served as head of the judiciary and chairs the Expediency Discernment Council;
• Mohammad Reza Hoseyni Boushehri, member of the Assembly of Experts.

However, no option has been finally approved yet.

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