Mojtaba Khamenei is one of the most influential figures in the Iranian clerical establishment headed by his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and among the figures seen as a candidate to succeed him as leader of the Islamic Republic. Although earlier today media reports claimed Mojtaba was elected as new Supreme Leader of Iran but later it was refuted by Iranian officials in India.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
A mid-ranking cleric who studied under religious conservatives in the seminaries of Qom, Mojtaba is a hardliner with close ties to the Revolutionary Guards, the force mandated to safeguard the Islamic Republic led by Khamenei since 1989.
Carrying the clerical rank of Hojjatoleslam, Mojtaba, 55, has never held a formal position in the Islamic Republic's government, exercising his influence behind the scenes as the gatekeeper to his father, according to Iran watchers.
His role has long been a point of controversy in Iran, with critics rejecting any hint of dynastic politics in a country that overthrew a US-backed monarch in 1979. Khamenei has himself indicated opposition to the idea of dynastic succession.
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mojtaba in 2019, saying he represented the Supreme Leader in "an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position" aside from working his father's office.
Why is Mojtaba succession controversial in Shia?
Perceived hereditary succession: Shia Islamic tradition and the ideology of the Islamic Republic have historically opposed transferring leadership through family lineage. A father-to-son succession echoes the monarchy that Iran’s 1979 revolution overthrew, making it controversial within clerical circles.
Lack of senior religious credentials: Mojtaba has not achieved the high clerical rank typically expected of a supreme leader. In Shia scholarship, religious authority comes with senior qualifications that go beyond being a mid-ranking cleric, a criterion many experts say he does not fully meet.
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Absence of formal government experience: Unlike past leaders who held significant roles in governance or clergy institutions, Mojtaba has never held an official government position, raising questions about his readiness to lead both spiritually and politically.
Pressure from the Revolutionary Guard: Reports suggest his selection may have been influenced by Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rather than purely by religious or constitutional consensus, which critics argue undermines the legitimacy of the clerical process.
Concerns over internal backlash: Within Iran, some clerics, political elites and segments of the public may view his rise as prioritising power consolidation over religious propriety and merit, potentially causing division and weakening trust in the Assembly of Experts and Shiite institutional norms.
(With inputs from agency)