Mojtaba Khamenei

Not to be confused with Ali Khamenei or Ruhollah Khomeini.

Mojtaba Khamenei
مجتبی خامنه‌ای
Khamenei in 2023
3rd Supreme Leader of Iran
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 March 2026
PresidentMasoud Pezeshkian
Preceded byAli Khamenei[a]
Vakil of the Office of the Supreme Leader[c]
In office
21 August 2008[b] – 28 February 2026
Supreme LeaderAli Khamenei
Chief of StaffMohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
BornMojtaba Hosseini Khamenei
(1969-09-08) 8 September 1969
Mashhad, Iran
PartyIndependent (2026–present)
Combatant Clergy Association (2012–2026)[7]
Other political
affiliations		Front of Islamic Revolution Stability (patron)[8]
Spouse
Zahra Haddad-Adel
​
​
(m. 1999; died 2026)​
Children3
Parents
RelativesKhamenei family
EducationQom Seminary
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Iran
Branch/service Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Years of service
Unit
Commands
Battles/wars
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationTwelver Shi'a
JurisprudenceJa'fari
CreedUsuli

Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei[d] (born 8 September 1969) is an Iranian Shia cleric who has served as the third supreme leader of Iran since March 2026. A member of the Khamenei family, he is the second child and son of the previous supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

Born in Mashhad, Khamenei received an early education in Sardasht and Mahabad, and graduated from high school in Tehran. He studied Islamic theology under the guidance of his father and Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi. He joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1987 and served in the Iran–Iraq War. In 1989, he began studying in Qom to become a cleric, and later joined the Qom Seminary as a theology teacher. He took control of the Basij paramilitary volunteer militia in 2009.

Analysts considered Khamenei a likely candidate to replace his father as Supreme Leader, despite reports that Ali Khamenei had opposed his accession. Following his father's assassination during the 2026 Iran war, Khamenei was elected the third supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts. Khamenei was injured in the airstrike that killed his father, and his appointment was followed by a prolonged absence from public view, raising confusion over his fate.

In political ideology and jurisprudence, Khamenei is considered among the most hardline of the Iranian principlists, and has close ties to some of the "most ideologically extremist clerics" according to a report from the Atlantic Council, a pro-NATO think tank.[9] Analysts have generally seen him as more open to developing a nuclear weapons program than his father,[10] opposing his father's fatwa against nuclear weapons.

Early life and education

Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei was born on 8 September 1969 in Mashad, the second child of Ali Khamenei and Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh.[11][12] He was named "Mojtaba" after Navvab Safavi (born Mojtaba Mir-Lohi), a radical Shia cleric about whom Ali Khamenei had said that he "first kindled the fire of revolutionary Islam in my heart."[13] His five siblings are Mostafa, his elder brother, Masoud and Meysam, his younger brothers, and Boshra and Hoda, his younger sisters. His paternal grandfather, Javad Khamenei, was a Twelver Shia cleric and scholar.[14]

Khamenei has Persian ancestry, but to a lesser extent, Azeri ancestry, with his Azeri roots being traced back to Khamaneh, a small town in East Azerbaijan where his surname originated from, and he also has distant roots from Tafresh.[15][16] His family traces its lineage to Husayn ibn Ali, the son of Ali, the first Shia Imam, and the maternal grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, hence Khamenei's middle name is Hosseini (spelled Husayni in Arabic; meaning "descendant of Husayn").[17]

During his childhood, he spent seven years in the cities of Sardasht and Mahabad in northwest Iran, where he received his early education.[18][19] After graduating from Alavi high school in Tehran,[20] he studied Islamic theology. His early teachers included his own father and Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.[11] In 1989, Khamenei began his studies in Qom to become a cleric. Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani and Mohammad Bagher Kharazi were among his teachers there.[11][21] In addition to his native Persian, he is fluent in Arabic and English and has completed specialized studies in psychology and psychoanalysis.[22]

Scholarly career

Khamenei taught theology in the Qom Seminary;[23] from 2004 he taught Kharij-e Fiqh (advanced jurisprudence) courses for approximately two decades and was considered the instructor of one of the most heavily attended advanced seminary classes.[22] The Dars-e Kharij is the highest level of jurisprudential instruction and a prerequisite for attaining the rank of mujtahid, a scholar qualified to perform independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) in Islamic law.[24]

Early political career

Khamenei first joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) around 1987 after finishing high school at age 17.[20] He was part of the Habib bin Muzahir Battalion, and he served together with Qassem Soleimani, Hossein Hamedani and Hossein Ta’eb, who would later command the IRGC.[25][26] He took part in several operations of the Iran–Iraq War, including Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas 2, Operation Dawn 10 and Operation Mersad.[27]

In 2009, it was reported that Khamenei had assumed leadership of the Basij, one of five branches of the IRGC.[28] Reformist critics blamed him for suppressing the protests over the 2009 presidential election.[29] Despite having control over the Basij, The Guardian argued in 2009 that "[t]he strength of Mojtaba's following has not been demonstrated", and that he "by no means has the theological status" to rise to Supreme Leader.[28]

In 2023, Iran International published leaked reports from the IRGC, revealing that Khamenei effectively controlled the Basij and that he exercised significant influence over the assignment and dismissal of personnel in the Intelligence Protection Organization.[30]

Supreme Leadership (2026–present)

Background

Several analysts considered Khamenei a possible successor to his father,[28][31] and multiple Western sources considered him Ali Khamenei's heir apparent.[32][33] In 2014, as well as 2025,[34][35] it was reported that Ali's successor was deemed to have been decided but not disclosed publicly.[36] Prior to his death, Ali had not publicly discussed his replacement,[37][38] and some reports said that he opposed Mojtaba succeeding him;[39][40][41] US intelligence indicated that Ali considered Mojtaba unintelligent and unqualified.[42]

Some analysts considered Mojtaba Khamenei's potential accession as presenting a problem, as the Supreme Leader needs to be elected by the Assembly of Experts, though The Guardian noted that the inaugural Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, exerted a strong influence in favour of the choice of his father.[33] The Iranian constitution dictates the adherence to Khomeini's interpretation of the principle of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist (velayat-e faqih). According to this interpretation, the Supreme Leader must be a mujtahid, capable of interpreting Sharia law.[43] Khamenei is a hojjatoleslam (a rank below that of ayatollah).[44][45]

During the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi, Khamenei was one of the clerics speculated as a possible successor as supreme leader.[46][47] However, he was considered unlikely to succeed his father.[48][49][50] The Middle East Institute opined that Khamenei appointing his own son as successor would cause conflict within the Iranian political and religious leadership,[51] as it would be a sign that the revolutionary Islamic system of government had evolved to dynastic rule.[52] Shia theological principles prohibit such a succession, and both Khamenei and his father had voiced their opposition to it.[53]

Election

See also: 2026 Iranian supreme leader election

After Israel assassinated his father in the 2026 Iran war, Khamenei was considered a likely candidate to replace him as Supreme Leader.[54][55][56][57] The Daily Telegraph reported that over the years Khamenei had built a "loyalty structure that spanned the country", at the apex of which stood the IRGC, and it would "legitimise his leadership when the moment came".[25] According to Iran International, the IRGC pressured the Assembly of Experts to elect Khamenei.[58][59] There was strong opposition from some members of the council,[60] including eight who stated that they would boycott an online electoral meeting planned for 5 March.[59] Questions regarding the voting process itself also arose; the assembly building had been destroyed prior to the vote, and unlike the election of Ali Khamenei, which followed a period of relative tranquility allowing multiple meetings on the issue, the election of Mojtaba occurred in the absence of such stability.[25] On 8 March, the Assembly of Experts announced that Mojtaba was elected Supreme Leader in a "unanimous vote".[61][62][63][24][64]

On 5 March, US president Donald Trump said that Khamenei's election would be "unacceptable" and that he had to be involved in the selection of Iran's next leader.[65][66] Following his election, Trump said that he was "disappointed" by the selection,[67] and that Khamenei "cannot live in peace".[68] Israel said it considered Khamenei, like his father, a target for assassination.[69] According to an Iran International analysis, Khamenei's election marked the completion of the Islamic Republic's shift away from public backing.[70] Analysts and scholars described it as an indication that Iran had returned to hereditary rule after abandoning it following the 1979 revolution.[71][72] Many Iranian social media users mocked the appointment,[73] and Iranian protesters chanted "Death to Mojtaba" from their homes.[74]

Iran war

Further information: 2026 Iran war

On March 17, a senior Iranian official stated that Khamenei had rejected de-escalation proposals conveyed by intermediaries. According to the official, Khamenei demanded that the US and Israel be "brought to their knees".[75]

Absence and speculation

Khamenei was injured in the airstrike that killed his father and other family members, and his appointment was followed by a prolonged absence from public view; no confirmed footage of him has been released since the appointment.[76] Supposed recent photographs of Khamenei distributed by the Iranian government were manipulated with artificial intelligence, according to Shayan Sardarizadeh, a senior journalist with BBC Verify.[77][76] His absence caused widespread confusion over the extent of the injuries he sustained during the attack on the residence of the Supreme Leader on 28 February. The Media Line reported that "the survival of Mojtaba Khamenei remains a subject of considerable speculation".[78]

In a statement to ISNA, Yousouf, son of President Masoud Pezeshkian, said that Khamenei was "safe and sound",[76] and Iranian officials said that he had sustained minor injuries to the face and foot.[79] The Daily Telegraph obtained a recording of an address from Mazaher Hosseini, Ali Khamenei's chief of protocol, to the IRGC and senior clerics. Hosseini said that the younger Khamenei survived the airstrike because he had gone outside for a walk several minutes before Israel struck the Supreme Leader's compound. According to Hosseini, Khamenei suffered a minor leg injury.[42] In contrast, Voice of Emirates reported that Khamenei's health had severely deteriorated, that he had sustained life-threatening lacerations and fractures to his abdomen and legs, and had entered a semi-comatose state; his treatment including being put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit of Sina Hospital.[80] On March 15, Al-Jarida reported that Khamenei had been transferred to Moscow for treatment in an operation ordered by Russian president Vladimir Putin.[81]

An Iranian official told The Telegraph: "No one knows anything about Mojtaba, whether he is alive or dead or how badly injured. We are all just told that he's injured. He has no control over the war because he is not here. The majority of commanders, or more correctly, all commanders, have no news about him."[25] The reports prompted a former Iranian diplomat to question why he was chosen as Supreme Leader,[25] and several senior Iranian clerics called for the return of the Interim Leadership Council.[82]

Written statements

On 12 March, four days after his appointment, a written message attributed to Khamenei—containing no video or audio—was read on state television,[83] promising revenge for the "martyrs".[84] According to The Media Line, the message contained a number of errors in typography and clerical language, and "a knowledgeable source in Tehran" said it had been dictated by the IRGC and released under Khamenei's name.[85] Al-Jarida reported that Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was likely the actual author, as the message was similar to those Larijani had released in preceding days.[81] A second message attributed to Khamenei, read on state television on 16 March, asked government officials appointed by his father to remain in their posts,[86] while a third message, read on 18 March, vowed to avenge Larijani's assassination.[87]

Political and religious views

Further information: Conservatism in Iran

Analysts consider Khamenei to be aligned with the ultraconservatives among the Iranian principlists. He is a devotee of and heavily informed by the views of Taqi Yazdi, being a patron of Yazdi's party, the Front for Islamic Revolution Stability.[88][89] According to the Atlantic Council, he is closely associated with those who hold fundamentalist and Mahdist views.[90] Mehmet Ozalp wrote in The Conversation that Khamenei "[might] lean more heavily on the might of the IRGC" than his father did.[91] The Telegraph predicted that he would view the United States as "implacable enemy", would likely escalate the conflict, and was unlikely to make any compromises.[92] In The Atlantic, Karim Sadjadpour presented him as "more radical" than his father, who, for instance, would read Western literature while Mojtaba has mostly limited himself to Islamic texts and the poetry of Hafez.[13] The Independent quoted Jaber Rajabi, a former classmate of Khamenei and foreign policy adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as saying that Khamenei is more ruthless than his father and "a better liar".[93] Rajabi also stated that Khamenei does not value human life and is "not afraid to kill thousands of people."[93]

In a partisan documentary, Khamenei is portrayed as an "ethics-oriented jurist" and a "professor of human sciences" with extensive knowledge of religious texts; he is also described as familiar with various fields including modern technology, military science, security affairs, political theory, and matters related to state administration.[22] One source who knew him as a student described Khamenei as focused on the end of the world and apocalyptic questions, that he thought that Iran had a mission from God to bring about the end of the world,[94][95] and that he had a role in accelerating the process.[93]

Ties within the IRGC

Khamenei was an influential figure in his father's inner circle, cultivating deep ties to the IRGC. He used the Basij to crack down on peaceful protesters during the Iranian Green Movement of 2009. Before becoming Supreme Leader, local and foreign-based democracy activists had linked Khamenei to the violent suppression of Iranian protesters.[29] According to Patrick Wintour of The Guardian, Khamenei was viewed as someone who "would put the IRGC fully at the helm of Iranian politics", sidelining spiritual and moderate political leadership.[96] Despite the successive deaths of Iranian leaders during the 2026 Iran war, analysts noted the IRGC's constant activity and increasing influence within Iran's political structure under Khamenei.[97]

Support for Ahmadinejad

Khamenei was affiliated with Iranian president Ahmadinejad,[33] and supported Ahmadinejad in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.[98][44] Journalists stated that Khamenei may "have played a leading role in orchestrating" Ahmadinejad's electoral victory in 2009,[28][11] and he was speculated to have been instrumental in orchestrating the crackdown against anti-government protesters in June 2009.[99]

During the 2009 protests, protesters accused Ali Khamenei of working to facilitate Mojtaba's succession.[100] The slogan "Mojtaba may you die, and not see the leadership" or "Mojtaba die, may you not take the leadership" was chanted by protesters on 9 July in Tehran.[101][102][103] In an open letter, Mehdi Karroubi, a reformist candidate in the 2009 election, accused Khamenei of conspiring to rig the election in Ahmadinejad's favor.[104] In 2012, Ahmadinejad accused Khamenei of embezzling from the state treasury.[105]

Nuclear weapons policy

Several American analysts have described Mojtaba as a supporter of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, in opposition to his father's fatwa against them. According to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Mojtaba "may decide that Iran must move quickly to obtain nuclear weapons in order to forestall future U.S. and Israeli attacks. Whether this approach stablizes the regime or accelerates fragmentation, it will shape the next phase of the conflict."[10]

Personal life

He married Zahra Haddad-Adel, a daughter of Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel,[106][107] in 1999.[108][109] Their first child was born in 2007.[110] Their first son is Mohamed Amin, who was followed by their daughter, Fatemeh Sadaat, and their second son, Mohamed Bagher. There were reports that due to fertility issues, the couple travelled to the United Kingdom four times, staying at Wellington and Cromwell Hospitals for treatment, and after getting pregnant the child was delivered in Iran.[110][111] Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel denied the rumors that his first grandchild was born in London, having stated that all three of his daughter and Khamenei's children were born in Tehran.[112]

Khamenei's father, wife and one of his sisters were killed at the onset of the 2026 Iran war.[113][114][115]

Health and public silence

Khamenei had not given public lectures, Friday sermons, or political addresses by March 2026 – to the point that many Iranians have not heard his voice, despite knowing for years that he was a rising power within the theocratic establishment.[29]

Wealth

Khamenei is widely believed to control significant financial assets in banks such as Bank Ayandeh.[105][28]

A year-long investigation by Bloomberg, citing assessments from people familiar with the matter, reported in January 2026 that Khamenei is linked to an offshore financial network used to hold and move assets outside Iran. The reported holdings include high-value real estate in London and Dubai, as well as interests connected to shipping, banking relationships, and hospitality assets in Europe. According to the investigation, the assets were generally not held in Khamenei's name but structured through intermediaries and layered corporate entities across multiple jurisdictions. Some of these assets have since been sold or restructured amid increased scrutiny.[116]

Bloomberg identified Ali Ansari, an Iranian businessman sanctioned by the United Kingdom, as a central alleged facilitator in the network. Property records and corporate filings reportedly link Ansari and associated companies to several London properties, including residences on The Bishops Avenue, and to hotel ownership and management entities in Germany and other countries. Ansari has denied any financial or personal relationship with Khamenei and has stated that he intends to challenge the UK sanctions.[116]

The investigations further alleged that funds linked to the network largely originated from Iranian oil revenues and were routed through financial institutions in multiple jurisdictions, despite international sanctions imposed on Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019.[116]

On 14 January 2026, during the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, US Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent announced that "millions and tens of millions" of dollars have been wired by Iran's leaders to financial institutions worldwide, and Israel's Channel 14 reported that $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency had been sent to an account in Dubai with the involvement of Khamenei (who alone sent approximately $328 million).[117]

Sanctions

In 2019 Khamenei was placed under US sanctions for acting in place of the Supreme Leader without ever being elected or appointed to any official position[118] and for working closely with the commander of the Quds Force, responsible for "covert operations including lethal aid, intelligence, financing, and training" of Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Popular Mobilization Forces Iraq and others;[119] and for fostering close ties with the Basij paramilitary group as well as advancing "his father's destabilizing regional ambitions and oppressive domestic objectives".[118]

Notes

  1. ^ Between Ali Khamenei's death on 28 February and Mojtaba Khamenei's election on 8 March, the Interim Leadership Council was tasked with handing the duties of the supreme leader.[2]
  2. ^ This was the earliest alleged date he served in this position. The actual date of his appointment is not known.
  3. ^ Per Shia Islamic tradition, an Ayatollah-ranked cleric is to establish an office for addressing lay religious questions and organizing alms, with their son traditionally being designated to lead said office as a wakil.[3][4] The Office of Foreign Assets Control claims he represented "the Supreme Leader in an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position aside from work in the office of his father".[5] According to the New York Times, Khamenei coordinated military and intelligence operations from his father's office.[6]
  4. ^ Persian: مجتبی حسینی خامنه‌ای, romanized: Mojtabā Hoseyni Xāmene'i, pronounced [mod͡ʒtʰæˈbɒː hosejˈniː xɒːmeneˈʔiː].

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