The process was conducted maintaining maximum secrecy.
New Delhi: Media reports from Iran suggest that Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has been secretly elected as his successor by Tehran.
Ali Khamenei, who is 85-year-old and said to be suffering from severe illness, may renounce the position and his son Mojtaba may assume the role of the Persian State’s Supreme Leader in his lifetime, says Israeli news outlet ynetnews, citing Iran International, a Persian-language international media outlet having ties to Iranian regime opponents.
“Sixty members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts assembled on September 26 on Khamenei’s demand and were ordered to take a decision on the succession immediately with utmost confidentiality”, say the reports.
In a unanimous agreement, the assembly members picked Mojtaba as Khamenei’s successor. The members were, however, opposed to both the decision and the process of the move but they were influenced on by the leader and his representatives, which also allegedly included direct threats, reports News 18.
The process was conducted maintaining maximum secrecy amid fears of widespread public protests.
“The assembly members were issued warnings to keep the meeting and its details confidential. They were threatened with repercussions for any leaks”, the reports said.
On October 27, a day after Israel conducted aerial strikes on Iran, it was reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was seriously ill and that a battle for succession has already begun.
It was reported that Ali Khamenei’s second-oldest son, Mojtaba Khamenei, 55, was seen as a likely successor.
The events are unfolding at a time when Iran is reportedly contemplating retaliatory strikes on Israel.
It is believed that Israel’s next move may be to target and assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Ali Khamenei has held the position of Supreme Leader since 1989, following the death of Ruhollah Khomeini. From 1989 to 2024, Khamenei’s 35-year-long rule makes him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.
After the Iranian revolution overthrowing the shah, he was the target of an attempted assassination in June 1981 that paralyzed his right arm.
As supreme leader, Khamenei is the most powerful political authority and also the head of state of Iran, the commander-in-chief of its armed forces, and can issue decrees and make the final decisions on the main policies of the government in many fields.
Regarding the nuclear program of Iran, Khamenei issued a fatwa in 2003 forbidding the production, stockpiling and use of all kinds of weapons of mass destruction.