Iran’s ruling establishment has appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a U.S.-Israel airstrike, according to CNN. The decision by Iran’s 88-member Assembly of Experts marks the first time power in the Islamic Republic has passed directly from father to son.
President Donald Trump said the appointment was “unacceptable,” criticizing Tehran’s leadership amid rising tensions. Iranian state media reported that several members of the elder Khamenei’s family were also killed in the strike, including a daughter, grandchild, and son-in-law.
UPDATE: Trump ‘not happy’ with Iran’s new supreme leader, Fox News reports
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Mojtaba Khamenei, born in 1969, long operated behind the scenes in Iran’s political system. Though he lacks the senior clerical rank many consider necessary for supreme leadership, analysts say he cultivated strong ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and key regime networks.
He was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2019 for supporting Iran’s regional ambitions and suppressing domestic opposition, according to CNN.
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TIPP Staff
