Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his successor, who is injured
in the US-Israeli strikes that killed his family members, emerges as the face of leadership in Iran.
On March 11, local media in Iran asked Esmail Baghaei, the spokesman of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, if Mojtaba Khamenei had taken charge and assumed his new role as the country’s top religious and political figure and the commander in chief of armed forces, Baghaei said, “those who have to receive the message have received the message.”
Mojtaba Khamenei, who has deep ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was a power player in the shadows for years. He coordinated security and military affairs for his father’s office.
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.
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.
Government supporters have been holding ceremonies of “pledging alliance” to Mojtaba Khamenei in town squares across the country, waving flags and holding his photographs.
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. Two years ago Ali Khamenei opposed the idea of his son being a candidate for future leadership.
Military service
Born on 8 September 1969 in the north-eastern city of Mashhad, Mojtaba is the second of Ali Khamenei’s six children. At 17, Mojtaba served in the military for several short periods during the Iran-Iraq War.
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 recently.