Iran Reportedly Chooses New Supreme Leader With Familiar Name

(Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via AP)

The Islamic Republic of Iran has reportedly chosen its new supreme leader.

According to Iran International, a Persian-language outlet based out of London, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, was been selected for the role by the regime’s Assembly of Experts “under pressure from” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday.

Khamenei’s father perished in the initial wave of American and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets over the weekend. He had ruled the country with an iron fist since 1989, establishing a reputation for himself as one of the world’s most brutal dictators and his country as the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism.

CNN had previously reported that the younger Khamenei “is known to wield significant influence behind the scenes and has strong links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the most powerful military body in the country, as well as its Basij volunteer paramilitary force.”

And Karim Sadjadpour, a contributor writer to The Atlantic, called him a “prominent contender” to succeed his father, but warned that “hereditary succession would directly betray one of the founding principles of the revolution: Khomeini’s insistence that monarchy was ‘un-Islamic’” in a piece for Foreign Affairs last fall.

“Mojtaba has never held elected office, has virtually no public profile, and is known chiefly for his behind-the-scenes ties to the Revolutionary Guards. His image evokes continuity with his father’s generation, not the dynamism of a new era,” added Sadjadpour. “Risible attempts by his supporters to liken him to the dynamic Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—including campaigns on social media with the hashtag #MojtabaBinSalman in Persian—are an indication that even Khamenei’s revolutionary base recognizes that a forward-­looking vision is more appealing than a backward-looking one.”

Israel’s Haaretz also reported on the news on Tuesday evening.

Online, the early reactions to the selection rolled in quickly.

“Interesting. Bear in mind that this very well may be the selection of a dead man by an assembly of dead people, published for propaganda. I’ll believe this is real when Mojtaba and any of the assembly make a public appearance that can be verified as contemporary,” warned HotAir’s Ed Morrissey.