Who is Iran's new supreme commander, Mojtaba Khamenei?
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli attacks in Iran, has been named his successor. The 56-year-old has mostly maintained a low profile, unlike his father. He has never served in the government, delivered a speech, or given an interview, and there are just a few pictures and movies of him that have ever been made public. However, there have been rumors for years that he wielded significant power in Iran from behind the scenes. In the late 2000s, WikiLeaks made public US diplomatic cables that portrayed him as "the power behind the robes," who was widely considered within the administration to be a "capable and forceful" individual, according to the AP news agency. However, there is still a chance that his choice will be disputed.
Following the revolution that overthrew the monarchy in 1979, the Islamic Republic was established. Its ideology is centered on the notion that the supreme leader should be chosen for his religious standing and proven leadership, rather than via hereditary succession. Throughout his reign, Ali Khamenei only made vague statements about the Islamic Republic's future leadership.
Two years ago, one member of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for choosing the supreme leader, stated that Ali Khamenei was against the idea of his son running for future leadership. However, he had never made a public statement regarding such conjecture. Who, then, is Mojtaba Khamenei? Mojtaba, the second of Khamenei's six children, was born in the northeastern city of Mashhad on September 8, 1969.
He attended the religious Alavi School in Tehran for his secondary education. The Iranian press said that Mojtaba joined the army at the age of seventeen for a few brief stints throughout the Iran-Iraq War. The bloody war, which lasted for eight years, increased the regime's mistrust of the US and the West, which backed Iraq.
Mojtaba moved to Qom in 1999 to pursue his religious education. The city is regarded as a significant hub for Shia theology and is also a sacred place. It's interesting to note that he didn't wear clerical garb until now, and it's not clear why he chose to enroll in seminary at 30, when most people do so in their early 20s.
Mojtaba is still a middle-ranking clergyman, which may prevent him from becoming the supreme commander. Mojtaba Khamenei has been referred to as "Ayatollah," a prominent religious title, by certain media organizations and authorities near to Iranian power centers in recent days.
Some observers see the change as an effort to improve his religious position and portray him as a reputable leader. The "Ayatollah" rank and the ability to teach higher courses are seen as indicators of a student's academic proficiency and expertise in the seminary system, and they are also regarded as one of the essential requirements for choosing a future leader.
However, a prior instance has already occurred. Immediately after becoming the second supreme leader in 1989, Ali Khamenei was given the title of "Ayatollah." allegations of meddling in politics Mojtaba's name first came to national attention during the 2005 presidential election, which saw the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a populist hardliner. Mehdi Karroubi, the reformist candidate, wrote an open letter to Khamenei in which he charged Mojtaba of meddling in the election by using members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia, who distributed funds to religious organizations in an effort to help Ahmadinejad win.
Mojtaba was accused of the same offense four years later. The Green Movement was a wave of protests that erupted throughout the nation as a result of Ahmadinejad's reelection. Others demonstrated against the notion that Mojtaba could take over as Iran's supreme leader after his father. called the outcome an "electoral coup". He claimed that his seven-year sentence was caused by "the direct wish of Mojtaba Khamenei." Following the 2009 election, the two reformist contenders, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, were placed under house arrest. According to Iranian sources speaking to BBC News Persian, Mojtaba met with Mousavi in February 2012 and pleaded with him to abandon his demonstration.
Mojtaba, Iran's newly elected supreme leader, is widely expected to carry on his father's hardline stance. In addition, some think that a man who has lost his father, mother, and wife in US-Israeli attacks will be less prone to give in to Western pressure. However, he also has the difficult responsibility of persuading the populace that he is the best person to lead the Islamic Republic out of its political and economic ruin and ensure its survival.
The perception that the republic is becoming a hereditary system may exacerbate public dissatisfaction, and his leadership record is still mostly unknown. Now that Mojtaba is a marked man. The defense minister of Israel stated last week that whoever is chosen to succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be "an unequivocal target for elimination."
