1. '전문가 회의' 총 88명의 이슬람 법학자(성직자)로 구성되며, 임기는 8년
88명의 이슬람 성직자로 구성된 '전문가 회의'가 모즈타바 하메네이를 '최고지도자'로 선출. 이란의 중대 투표임을 강조,
2. 전문화 회의 발표
과학기술을 담당하는 대학과 이슬람 종교의 성직자들의 대표하는 신학교(호제 예 엘미예)의 지식인들이 모즈타바를 지지할 것을 호소.
3. 에멘의 후티 반군도 모즈타바의 선출을 환영.
4. 트럼프는 모즈타바를 승인하지 않음.
5. 모즈타바는 공직을 맡아본 적은 없으나, 그의 아버지 알리 하메네이 '내부 모임'의 일원.
6. 참고.
1979년 세습 팔레비 왕조 샤 (shah) 타도 이후, 세습에 대한 비판적 여론이 이란인들 사이에 존재함.
언론보도
Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba chosen as Iran’s new supreme leader
Move could lead to escalation of war as Donald Trump has already called Mojtaba Khamenei an unacceptable choice
Middle East crisis - live updates
Lorenzo Tondo
Sun 8 Mar 2026 21.20 GMT
Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been chosen as his successor.
Members of the clerical body responsible for selecting Iran’s highest authority announced the decision on Sunday, calling on Iranians to rally behind him and preserve national unity.
In a statement carried by state media, the assembly said Khamenei had been chosen through what it described as a “decisive vote”.
The body urged citizens across the country, “especially the elites and intellectuals of the seminaries and universities”, to pledge allegiance to the new leadership and safeguard unity at a critical moment for Iran.
The appointment was welcomed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are backed by the Iranian regime.
“We congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership and people, on the selection of Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at this important and pivotal juncture,” the group said in a statement on Telegram.
It called his selection “a new victory for the Islamic Revolution and a resounding blow to the enemies of the Islamic Republic and the enemies of the nation”.
The move could lead to a further escalation of the war, given Donald Trump had already acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei was the most likely successor and made clear he considered such an outcome unacceptable.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s elevation marks the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution that Iran’s supreme leadership has passed from father to son. It is a development likely to ignite debate inside Iran about the emergence of a dynastic system in a state founded explicitly to overthrow hereditary rule after the shah.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled for 37 years, was killed in a US-Israeli strike on Tehran on 28 February, on the first day of the war with Iran.
Appointing a new leader is the least of Iran’s troubles
Across Iran’s political and security establishment, officials swiftly moved to welcome the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader.
State media reported the leadership of Iran’s armed forces pledged allegiance to him, while the speaker of parliament hailed the decision and described following Mojtaba Khamenei as a “religious and national duty”.
The country’s security chief said the new leader was capable of guiding Iran through the current sensitive moment, and the Revolutionary Guards declared they stood ready to follow him, signalling broad backing from the country’s core institutions.
Trump said earlier on Sunday that Iran’s next supreme leader was “not going to last long” if Tehran did not get his approval first. He has called Mojtaba Khamenei an “unacceptable” choice.
The US president dismissed the prospect of Khamenei’s leadership and insisted that Washington should have a say in Iran’s future political direction.
Earlier in the day, in a post on X in Farsi, the Israeli military said it would continue pursuing every successor of Ali Khamenei and would pursue every person who sought to appoint a successor for him.
For many analysts, Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment is a symbolic move designed to make the regime still appear strong and determined not to bow to western pressure.
The 56-year-old cleric has never held elected office nor formally occupied a senior position within Iran’s government. He has spent much of his life at the centre of power in Iran while remaining largely out of public view.
Born in 1969 in the north-eastern city of Mashhad, Khamenei was raised within the political and clerical world that emerged after the 1979 revolution. As a young man he studied theology in the seminaries of Qom and reportedly took part in the final stages of the Iran-Iraq war.
Unlike many figures in Iran’s leadership, Khamenei never pursued elected office or a prominent government role. Instead, he gradually became an influential presence inside his father’s office, where he was widely seen as part of a small circle managing political access to the supreme leader.
Over the years he cultivated close relationships with conservative clerics and elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a connection analysts say strengthened his standing within the system.
His name surfaced publicly during the disputed 2009 presidential election, when reformist figures accused him of playing a role in supporting the security crackdown that followed mass protests. But he has never discussed the issue of succession publicly.
루홀라 호메이니 (아야톨라 )
To his supporters, Mojtaba Khamenei represents continuity with the ideological line established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and maintained by his father. To critics, his rise raises uncomfortable questions about the concentration of power – and the possibility of hereditary leadership in a state founded in revolt against monarchy.
Iran has threatened to attack oil facilities in neighbouring countries after Israel struck at least five energy sites in and around Tehran, smothering the city in black smoke and escalating fears that the conflict will result in significant disruption to the world economy.
“If you can tolerate oil at more than $200 per barrel, continue this game,” said a spokesperson for the IRGC on Sunday.
The US sought to calm markets as oil prices surge by pledging not to target Iran’s energy infrastructure.
A fresh wave of Iranian strikes hit the Gulf on Sunday, with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait all reporting attacks. Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted 15 drones; while strikes in Bahrain caused “material damage” to an important desalination plant.
Two people were killed on Sunday and 12 others injured after a projectile fell on a residential location in Al-Kharj, a city in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi civil defence said.
2.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader?
3 hours ago
BBC Persian
Tasnim News Agency Mojtaba Khamenei, with a black turban and a brown robe, looks away from the cameraTasnim News Agency
The 56-year-old is expected to continue the hardline rule of his father
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed in US-Israeli strikes, has been chosen as his successor.
Unlike his father, the 56-year-old has largely kept a low profile. He has never held government office, nor given public speeches or interviews, and only a limited number of photos and videos of him have ever been published.
But for years there have been rumours that he held considerable influence behind the scenes in Iran.
US diplomatic cables, which were published by WikiLeaks in the late 2000s, described him as "the power behind the robes" who was widely regarded as a "capable and forceful" figure within the regime, according to AP news agency.
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Yet his selection could still prove controversial. The Islamic Republic was founded in 1979 after the monarchy was overthrown, and its ideology is based on the principle that the supreme leader should be chosen for his religious standing and proven leadership, not through hereditary succession.
During his reign, Ali Khamenei spoke only in general terms about the future leadership of the Islamic Republic.
One member of Iran's Assembly of Experts - the clerical body that selects the supreme leader - said two years ago that Ali Khamenei opposed the idea of his son being a candidate for future leadership. But he had never publicly addressed such speculation.
EPA An Iranian man, in a black suit jacket and white shirt, holds a picture of Mojtaba Khamenei, as he takes part in celebrations of the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran on 11 February 2026.EPA
Mojtaba Khamenei has been tipped as the next leader for more than two decades
So, who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Born on 8 September 1969 in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Mojtaba is the second of Khamenei's six children. He received his secondary education at the religious Alavi School in Tehran.
At age 17, Mojtaba served in the military for several short periods during the Iran-Iraq War, according to Iranian media. The eight-year bloody conflict made the regime even more suspicious of the US and the West, which supported Iraq.
In 1999, Mojtaba went to Qom, a holy city which is considered an important centre of Shia theology, to continue his religious studies. It is notable that he did not wear clerical clothing until this time, and it is unclear why he decided to attend a seminary at 30, as it is more usual to do so in one's younger years.
Mojtaba remains a mid-ranking cleric, which could pose an obstacle to his ascendance as the supreme leader.
West Asia News Agency Via Reuters Wearing a black turban and spectacles, Mojtaba Khamenei is pictured during a visit to Hezbollah's office in Tehran in 2024. West Asia News Agency Via Reuters
In recent days, some media outlets and officials close to centres of power in Iran have started referring to Mojtaba Khamenei as "Ayatollah", a senior clerical title. The shift appears to some observers as an attempt to elevate his religious standing and present him as a credible leader.
In the seminary system, holding the rank of "Ayatollah" and teaching advanced classes are regarded as indicators of a person's scholarly level and knowledge, and are considered one of the requirements and prerequisites for selecting a future leader.
But there has already been a precedent. Ali Khamenei was quickly promoted as "Ayatollah" after he became the second supreme leader in 1989.
Accusations of political interference
Mojtaba's name first entered the public spotlight during the 2005 presidential election, which resulted in the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a populist hardliner.
In an open letter to Khamenei, reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi accused Mojtaba of interfering in the vote through elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia, which distributed money to religious groups in order to help Ahmadinejad win.
Four years later, Mojtaba faced the same accusation again. The re-election of Ahmadinejad triggered mass protests across the country known as the Green Movement. Some protesters chanted slogans opposing the idea that Mojtaba could succeed his father as Iran's supreme leader.
Getty Images Protesters gathering during the 2009 protest, with some individuals blowing smoke into each other's eyes to lessen the impact of tear gas.Getty Images
Protests known as the Green Movement ensued after the 2009 presidential election
Mostafa Tajzadeh, then deputy interior minister, described the result as an "electoral coup". He was imprisoned for seven years, which he attributed to "the direct wish of Mojtaba Khamenei".
Two reformist candidates, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, were put under house arrest after the 2009 election. In Feb 2012, Mojtaba met and urged Mousavi to give up his protest, Iranian sources told BBC News Persian.
Now, as Iran's freshly chosen supreme leader, many expect Mojtaba to continue his father's hardline policies.
Some also believe that a man who has lost his father, his mother and his wife in US-Israeli strikes will be unlikely to bow to Western pressure.
But he also faces the daunting task of ensuring the survival of the Islamic Republic and convincing the public that he is the right person to lead the country out of political and economic devastation.
His leadership record remains largely untested, and the perception that the republic is turning into a hereditary system could further deepen public discontent.
Mojtaba is now a marked man. Israel's defence minister said last week that whoever is chosen as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's successor will be "an unequivocal target for elimination".
