Reference News Network, March 9 report (by Du Yuanjiang) The highest power institution in Iran, the Assembly of Experts, announced on March 8 that Mojtaba Khomeini, son of the late Supreme Leader Khamenei, has been appointed as the new Supreme Leader of the country. This result is consistent with the general predictions made by the outside world previously.

In the current context, as the newly appointed Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba is undoubtedly under close scrutiny from the outside world. So who exactly is Mojtaba?

The Most Influential Son of Khamenei

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched an air strike against Iran, during which the then Supreme Leader Khamenei died, his wife Mansoureh Khosroshahi Bagherzadeh was injured and later died on March 2 due to severe injuries.

Khamenei and Bagherzadeh had four sons and two daughters. Mojtaba, born in September 1969 in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city, is the second son, now 56 years old, and is regarded as the most influential son of Khamenei.

According to a report on February 7 by The Times of Israel, Israeli security officials believe that Mojtaba was injured in an earlier targeted air strike by Israel. Mojtaba's wife Zahra Adel was killed in the Israeli attack.

Differing from many figures in Iran's power circles, Mojtaba has never held an official position. However, for many years, he has played a role in his father Khamenei's office, working behind the scenes and accumulating influence within the security agencies, especially within the elite forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Significant Position Within the Iranian System

Mojtaba was born during the reign of the Pahlavi king. During Mojtaba's childhood, his father Khamenei rose as one of the main "revolutionaries" opposing the Pahlavi regime. Khamenei was one of the leaders of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 that overthrew the Pahlavi regime.

Mojtaba grew up during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988. At the end of the war, Mojtaba joined the volunteer-based Habib ibn al-Majashi regiment of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and participated in the war, establishing extensive connections with individuals who later became high-ranking figures in Iran's security and intelligence agencies.

His service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and his close relationship with it have given Mojtaba significant influence within the Iranian system, making his position extremely important.

Appointed Under Pressure and Under Close Scrutiny

Currently, military conflicts between the United States, Israel, and Iran continue to escalate.

US President Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran must choose a new Supreme Leader who is "acceptable" to the US. On the 5th, Trump said he hoped to be involved in selecting the new Supreme Leader of Iran and reiterated his goal of creating a friendly leadership within Iran's ruling system. Just before Iran announced Mojtaba as the new Supreme Leader, Trump warned on the 8th that if not approved by him, the new Supreme Leader of Iran would not be able to hold power for long.

Mojtaba is widely seen as a hardliner. In 2019, the US Treasury placed him on a sanctions list. The fact that his parents and wife were killed in the Israeli attack has given Mojtaba a tragic background, further increasing his influence among hardliners in Iran. It is evident that Mojtaba is not the preferred choice of the US for the new Supreme Leader of Iran.

Before the Iranian Assembly of Experts announced Mojtaba as the new Supreme Leader, the Israeli military warned on the 8th that it would continue to hunt down every successor to Khamenei and anyone seeking to appoint a successor to Khamenei.

The Supreme Leader of Iran has the final say on national affairs and directly controls the armed forces. Facing the ongoing attacks and pressure from the US and Israel, the personal safety and policy direction of Mojtaba, who has been appointed under such circumstances and bears the fate of the nation, will be closely watched.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7615080225390576147/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.