AYATOLLAH Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba has emerged as frontrunner to succeed his late father as Iran’s supreme leader after years spent forging close ties with the elite Revolutionary Guards and building influence in the clerical establishment.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has survived the U.S.-Israeli air war on Iran and is seen by Iran’s establishment as a potential successor to his father, who was killed in an airstrike on Saturday, two Iranian sources said on Wednesday. A powerful mid-ranking cleric, Mojtaba has opposed reformers seeking to engage with the West as it tries to curb Iran’s nuclear programme, and has long greater freedoms.
His close ties with the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) give him added leverage across Iran’s political and security apparatus and he has built up influence behind the scenes as his father’s “gatekeeper”, sources familiar with the matter said. “He has strong constituency and support within the IRGC, in particular amongst the younger radical generations,” said Kasra Aarabi, head of researching the IRGC at United Against Nuclear Iran, a U.S.-based policy organisation.
“So if Mojtaba is alive, there is a high chance that he will succeed (his father),” he said, describing Mojtaba as already operating as a “mini supreme leader”. The Assembly of Experts that will select the new leader is “close to a conclusion” and will announce its decision soon, Assembly member Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami told state TV on Wednesday, without naming the candidates.
