The election results are expected to be officially announced as early as Wednesday.
“He had long been designated as his successor.”
In recent years, Mojtaba was considered one of the most influential advisors to the revolutionary leader, with excellent contacts within the Iranian security apparatus.
According to anonymous sources, some had expressed concerns about the 56-year-old succeeding his father, fearing he could become the next target of the US and Israel.
The expert panel ultimately reached an agreement in two virtual meetings, one in the morning and one in the evening.
On Tuesday, Israel attacked a building in Qom, one of the most important centers of power in Shiite Islam. The assembly for the election of the Supreme Leader usually takes place there.
However, the building was reportedly empty, according to the Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Vali Nasr, an expert on Iran and Shiite Islam at Johns Hopkins University, told the US newspaper that Khamenei would be a surprising choice – and a potentially telling one.
He had long been designated as the successor,” Nasr said, “but this seemed to have faded from view over the last two years. If he is elected, it indicates that the more hardline wing of the Revolutionary Guard is now in charge.”
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Mojtaba Khamenei was born on September 8, 1969, in Mashhad, the second-largest city in northwestern Iran. He is the second of six children. Through his work in the Supreme Leader’s office, he is said to have had the greatest influence on his father as an adult.
After graduating from school, Mojtaba studied theology in the holy city of Qom. He was taught by the Ayatollah himself and by other prominent clerics of the country. Subsequently, he became a lecturer at the theological seminary there – the most important institution for the study of Shiite Islam.
Mojtaba married in 2004 and had his first child three years later. His wife, Zahra Adel, and one of his sons are believed to have been killed in the airstrikes on Saturday, along with his parents.
The so-called Assembly of Experts – an 88-member body responsible for selecting Iran’s next leader – met on Tuesday for consultations. According to three Iranian officials familiar with the talks, Mujtaba emerged as the clear favorite.
