Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, holds the mid-ranking Shi’ite clerical title of hojatoleslam, below ayatollah and grand ayatollah. He is known for close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and for serving for years as a key link between his father and the force’s leadership.
The son of Ali Khamenei, who was killed in attacks by the United States and Israel that have continued since Feb. 28, had been seen as one of the main candidates for the role, although Iran’s ruling ideology does not favor hereditary succession.
Earlier on Sunday, Mohsen Heidari, a representative of Khuzestan province in the 88-member Assembly of Experts, said the choice was made in line with Ali Khamenei’s guidance that his successor should be “hated by the enemy,” not praised by it.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington should have a say in the selection.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” Trump told ABC News, adding that ending the war would be a “mutual” decision with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
(jh)
Source: Reuters, PAP