In the contest to become the Supreme Leader, who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is being considered as his possible successor. Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran.
After Ali Khamenei was killed in the US-Israeli attack, discussions began about who would become Iran's supreme leader. Although no official announcement has been made by the Iranian authorities so far.
However, Israeli and Western media are saying that Mojtaba Khamenei is in the lead in the race to become Iran's supreme leader.
In addition to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his wife, Mojtaba Khamenei's wife and a sister were killed in the joint Israeli-US attack on Saturday. However, Mojtaba Khamenei was not present at the scene of the attack that day. Since then, heavy bombing of Iran has continued. However, Mojtaba Khamenei is alive.
Mojtaba Khamenei has never contested any election or held any official office. But he has been a key figure in the Supreme Leader's inner circle for decades.
Mojtaba has also developed close ties with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
For years, there has been much talk of Mojtaba Khamenei as his father's likely successor. His father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was president of Iran for nearly eight years and then served as supreme leader for nearly 37 years before being killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on his compound in Tehran on Saturday.
If Mojtaba Khamenei were to become supreme leader now, it would be a sign that hardliners are still dominant in Iran and that the government is unwilling to negotiate or negotiate in the short term.
Mojtaba Khamenei is 56. He has never spoken publicly about succeeding his father. It is a sensitive issue for him and for Iran. Because, Mojtaba’s ascension to the position of Supreme Leader would be tantamount to establishing a dynasty like the Pahlavi monarchy before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Although Mojtaba Khamenei has always kept himself in the background. He has not given any public speeches, Friday sermons or political speeches. Many Iranians have not even heard his voice. Although they have known for years that Mojtaba is a brilliant figure emerging from the theocratic state.
Accusations
For nearly two decades, Iranian opponents at home and abroad have linked Mojtaba Khamenei’s name with the violent repression of protesters in the country.
Mojtaba was first accused by the reformist camp within the Islamic Republic of interfering in the 2009 election and using the IRGC’s paramilitary Basij to suppress peaceful protests during the ‘Green Movement’.
At that time, there were allegations that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected as President of Iran through controversial elections. In the wake of this, the 'Green Movement' movement was started.
The Basij force has since been at the center of the suppression of protests at various levels of the country. The most notable demonstration took place two months ago. The United Nations and Western-based international human rights organizations claim that Iranian government forces killed thousands of people during the protests, especially on the night of January 8 and 9.
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A moderate religious leader
Mojtaba Khamenei began to develop close ties with the IRGC at a young age. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, he served in the force's Habib Battalion and participated in several operations.
Several of Mojtaba's fellow fighters and religious leaders at that time later rose to top positions in the Islamic Republic's security and intelligence apparatus.
Mojtaba Khamenei is subject to US and Western sanctions. According to Western media reports, he has built an economic empire with assets in several countries.
However, Mojtaba's name is unlikely to be on any transaction documents. It is alleged that he has transferred billions of dollars to various institutions over the years.
Khamenei's religious qualifications are also a matter of debate. Because he is a 'hujjat-ul-Islam', or a middle-ranking religious leader, and not an ayatollah, or a high-ranking leader.
Of course, Mojtaba's father was not an ayatollah when he became Iran's supreme leader in 1989. At that time, the constitution was slightly relaxed and he was made the Supreme Leader. A similar agreement may be reached during Mojtaba.
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However, it is not clear at this time when or how the Islamic Republic of Iran will announce the name of a new Supreme Leader. This is because the country is under heavy bombing by the United States and Israel. As a result, the internet has been shut down and restrictions have been imposed on the flow of information throughout the country.
Now a three-member council has been legally allowed to take over the interim administration. The council includes hardline cleric and Guardian Council member Alireza Arafi, the head of the judiciary, ultra-conservative Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ajeh, and President Masoud Pajhwokian.
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In Iran, a council called the ‘Assembly of Experts’ or the Council of Experts elects the Supreme Leader.
This council is made up of 88 senior Shiite clerics. They are elected by popular vote. According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, this council is responsible for appointing, supervising and removing the Supreme Leader. The Supreme Leader has been elected only once before in the Islamic Republic's 47-year history.
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