Trump and US Senators React Following Mojtaba Khamenei's Appointment as Iran's Supreme Leader
US President Donald Trump is reportedly displeased with the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new Supreme Leader. Not only Trump, but senior US Republican senators have also condemned the appointment of the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Iran’s highest office.
According to reports on Monday 9 March 2026, Trump’s displeasure with Mojtaba Khamenei was conveyed by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade. Kilmeade revealed that Trump was unhappy with Iran’s choice of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new Supreme Leader.
“I do not like it,” Kilmeade said, quoting Trump.
Trump himself has not publicly commented on Mojtaba’s selection. However, Trump previously described Khamenei’s son as an insignificant figure. Trump also emphasised that Iran’s new Supreme Leader must obtain approval from the United States.
“If he does not get approval from us, he will not last long,” Trump said, according to Al Arabiya.
Meanwhile, senior US Senator Lindsey Graham has also condemned Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment as Supreme Leader of Iran. He suggested that Mojtaba would meet the same fate as his father.
“I believe it is only a matter of time before he experiences the same fate as his father,” said Graham, the Senator from South Carolina, in a statement via social media platform X.
Graham is known to have long lobbied for US military action against Iran. A report from US media outlet Wall Street Journal revealed that Graham had coached Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how to lobby US President Donald Trump to take action against Iran.
Background on Mojtaba Khamenei
Iran announced Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new Supreme Leader on Sunday 8 March, a week after Ali Khamenei’s death. Mojtaba Khamenei is the second son of Ali Khamenei.
Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei was selected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts as the country’s new Supreme Leader. Mojtaba replaces his father, who died in a joint American and Israeli attack on 28 February.
The Assembly of Experts comprises 88 senior clerics. One member of the Assembly of Experts, Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, stated in a video that a candidate was chosen based on the late Khamenei’s directive that Iran’s Supreme Leader must be “hated by enemies”.
“Even the Great Satan has mentioned his name,” Alekasir said in a statement made several days after US President Donald Trump described Mojtaba as an unacceptable choice for him.
Mojtaba is a senior figure close to Iran’s security forces and the large business empire they control. He opposes reformists who seek to establish ties with the West in efforts to constrain Iran’s nuclear programme.
Mojtaba maintains close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). This gives him additional influence across Iran’s entire political and security apparatus.
The Supreme Leader of Iran holds the authority to make final decisions on state matters, including foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme. Western powers are intent on preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Iran has repeatedly stated that its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes.