Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a figure long seen by some analysts as a potential successor, has been reported alive by Iranian outlet Mehr News Agency.
“Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the Supreme Leader, is in full health,” Mehr said.
The outlet added that Mojtaba is also reviewing “important issues” related to the country, without providing details.
Mojtaba, the Supreme Leader’s second son, is widely understood to wield influence behind the scenes, with deep ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the most powerful military force in Iran, as well as the Basij, its volunteer paramilitary network.
Still, any move toward a father-to-son succession would collide with political and religious sensitivities inside Iran. Dynastic-style transfer of power is frowned upon within Shiite clerical tradition, and especially in a system born from a revolution that toppled a monarchy.
There are practical barriers, too: Mojtaba is not widely known as a high-ranking cleric and holds no official government position. He was sanctioned by the United States in 2019.
Source: CNN
- Agencies
