Iran International report: Khamenei’s son chosen as next supreme leader

Mushtaba Khamenei, the son of Ali Khamenei, appears to be the leading candidate to be appointed to the position of the new supreme leader of Iran, it was reported tonight (between Tuesday and Wednesday) in the New York Times. Yesterday, the Council of Experts held a virtual meeting in the morning and another virtual meeting in the evening, and the intention was to announce the election of Khamenei Jr. this morning, but there is a fear that such an announcement now would endanger him and make him a target for elimination by Israel and the US.

According to the report, two other prominent candidates for the position are Ali-Reza Arafi, a member of the Provisional Leadership Council in Iran, and Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the republic who is considered relatively moderate in his outlook. A close associate of Mushtaba Khamenei told the New York Times that if elected to the position he would be “in the style of Mohammed bin Salman”, according to him “as a progressive who will work to push out the hawkish elements”.

According to a report on the opposition Iran International channel, the Iranian Council of Experts has already chosen Moshetaba as the next supreme leader. There was no verification of the report from another source. According to the report, the appointment was made under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards. Earlier, the IDF confirmed that it had attacked the structure of the Council of Experts, but the IDF spokesman claimed that they were still waiting for the results of the attack.

In recent days, reports circulated in Iran that he was killed along with his father, but no official confirmation was received. Moshtaba Khamenei was marked as his father’s successor ahead of time, and Iran International already reported about a year and a half ago that he was secretly chosen as a successor. The Iranian news agency “Mahar” reported today that Moshtaba Khamenei is safe and sound and was not injured in the bombing, which killed his father, wife and other members of his family.

The Iranian Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, reported this evening that the voting process of the council of experts to choose the next supreme leader is in the final stages. The reports about the attack on the building of the Council of Experts are true, but no meeting was held there. Due to security considerations, the council holds its deliberations “in absentia”. The discussions are held in a safe space and the results of the selection may be published soon.

It was also reported in Pars that some of the council members report a “very fast” selection procedure. It is also claimed that Khamenei did not decide during his lifetime on an explicit successor to replace him, but “outlined indicators for the future leadership”. The same indicators that are included in the report are “standing up against the arrogance of the powers, courage, cleanliness of hands and other general conditions such as justice, understanding the spirit of the times and managerial ability”. The report states that the announcement of the identity of the next leader will be made in the next few hours or at most in the next few days – in order to “ensure Iranian unity”.

All the experts have estimated in recent years that despite the reports and estimates that Moshetba Khamenei may succeed his father, there is a great chance that Iran will prefer to avoid this. The experts’ estimates were that the election of Khamenei Jr. to the position would lead to widespread public criticism and cause storms. At the same time, such a scenario now seems to be a relatively minor concern of the regime.

In recent times, experts and commentators for Iran have estimated that in the event of the assassination of Ali Khamenei, there is a high probability that the Revolutionary Guards will actually take over the administration of the country in Iran, even if this means appointing a ruler on their behalf. One of the options talked about the appointment of a senior cleric, but one who is not considered an experienced politician, so that senior members of the Revolutionary Guards would be able to actually control the state of affairs in the country.

The Council of Experts consists of 88 clerics, who are chosen by the Iranians with the approval of a council appointed by Ali Khamenei. Mujataba is a religious man, like his father, and enjoys great power in the former supreme leader’s support centers.

Mushtaba, like his father, was born in the city of Mashhad in Iran, and participated in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. He was accused by the US of collaborating with the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij, and suppressing protests in Iran against the regime over the years.