Mojtaba Khamenei is the new supreme leader of Iran, chosen as the successor to his father Ali Khamenei after US-Israeli strikes killed him. Unlike his father, Mojtaba keeps a low profile and has never held government office or given public speeches. Despite this, he has been described as “the power behind the robes” with considerable influence in Iran.
Born on September 8, 1969, in Mashhad, Mojtaba is Ali Khamenei’s second son and completed his secondary education at a religious school in Tehran. He served in the military during the Iran-Iraq War and later attended the Alavi School in Qom for his religious studies. Despite wearing clerical clothing only after 1999, Mojtaba remains a mid-ranking cleric, which may pose an obstacle to his acceptance as supreme leader.
Mojtaba’s name first entered public spotlight during the 2005 presidential election when reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi accused him of interfering in the vote. The re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad triggered mass protests and accusations against Mojtaba again in 2009. As Iran’s new supreme leader, many expect Mojtaba to continue his father’s hardline policies, but he faces the challenge of ensuring the survival of the Islamic Republic and convincing the public that he is the right person to lead.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78xxg05w0zo