Iran Announces Mojtaba Khamenei as New Supreme Leader

Iran has announced a new supreme leader following the appointment by the Assembly of Experts.

The Assembly of Experts has appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. “By casting the decisive vote, the Assembly of Experts has appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the third Leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the assembly stated.

The position grants Mojtaba authority to make final decisions on all Iranian affairs. The 56-year-old cleric is an influential figure amongst the middle classes and has long opposed reform-oriented groups with Western connections. His relationships with senior clergy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which dominates Iran’s security and economic power structures, are significant across the nation’s political security institutions.