Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba chosen as Iran’s new supreme leader

In a statement carried by Iranian state outlets, the body called on people across the country — “especially the elites and intellectuals of the seminaries and universities” — to pledge loyalty and protect national unity.

Who is Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei?

The second son Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, has has been chosen as the successor to Iran’s slain supreme leader.

The clerical body responsible for selecting Iran’s highest authority announced the decision on Sunday and called on Iranians to rally behind him and preserve national unity.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has never held elected office and has rarely appeared in public. Born in 1969 in Mashhad, he studied Islamic theology in the religious seminaries of Qom and spent much of his life working within his father’s office.

The appointment follows the death of Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly four decades before he was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on Tehran on February 28 during the first day of the war with Israel.

Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise marks the first time since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution that the country’s highest authority has passed from father to son. Analysts say the move could spark debate within Iran, where the revolution originally aimed to end hereditary rule under the shah.

Across Iran’s political and security institutions, officials quickly expressed support for the new leader. State media reported that the armed forces pledged allegiance to him, while parliamentary leaders said following Mojtaba Khamenei was a “religious and national duty”.

The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also declared its loyalty, saying it was ready to follow the new leader’s direction during the current crisis.

Trump calls move ‘Unacceptable’

However, the appointment drew a strong reaction from US President Donald Trump. Speaking earlier on Sunday, Trump warned that Iran’s next supreme leader would “not last long” if Tehran did not gain Washington’s approval.

Trump has previously called Mojtaba Khamenei an “unacceptable” choice and said the United States should have a role in shaping Iran’s political future.

He is believed to have built close ties with conservative clerics and members of the IRGC, which analysts say helped strengthen his influence inside Iran’s power structure.

His name became widely known during the disputed 2009 presidential election, when reformist figures accused him of supporting the security crackdown on protests that followed the vote. He has never publicly commented on the allegations.

Meanwhile, the regional conflict continued to spread. Iranian strikes were reported across the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait reporting drone or missile attacks.

Saudi authorities said they intercepted 15 drones, while a projectile that fell in the city of Al-Kharj killed two people and injured 12 others, according to civil defence officials.