After Khamenei’s Death, Who Will Be Iran’s Next Supreme Leader?

Tehran, 1st March 2026: Following reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israel strike, attention has turned to the question of succession in the Islamic Republic, where the supreme leader wields authority far greater than the president. Iranian authorities have not made an official announcement on a successor, but multiple media reports suggest that his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could emerge as the leading contender.

State-linked media, including Fars News Agency, have reported that preparations to elevate Mojtaba to the top post had been underway for nearly two years. In Iran, the supreme leader is known as the “Rahbar,” meaning guide or leader, and is chosen by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of clerics empowered to appoint and, if necessary, remove the Rahbar.

According to reports circulating after Saturday’s attack, around 30 missiles struck the supreme leader’s office, killing Khamenei along with several senior commanders. Media accounts also claim that members of his family were among those killed. These details have not been independently verified, and Iranian officials have so far refrained from issuing a comprehensive statement.

Reports suggest that Khamenei, citing health concerns, had identified Mojtaba as his preferred successor in 2024, though no formal confirmation was made at the time. It is also claimed that the Assembly of Experts had convened a confidential meeting in September 2024 to deliberate on succession at Khamenei’s request. With his reported death, Mojtaba is now expected to surface publicly as a claimant to the position.

Iran is among the few countries, along with Vatican City, where religious authority holds ultimate political power. The role of Iran’s supreme leader is often compared to that of the Pope, underscoring the concentration of authority in a single religious figure.

Mojtaba Khamenei is regarded as well-versed in Islamic jurisprudence and religious affairs. He first drew international attention during the 2009 unrest following Iran’s disputed presidential election, when hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner over reformist Mir-Hossein Mousavi. The mass protests that followed, known as the Iranian Green Movement, were eventually crushed by the state. Reformist leaders alleged large-scale electoral irregularities, and several reports attributed the hardline response to Mojtaba’s behind-the-scenes influence.

Despite holding no formal government post, Mojtaba is described as a reclusive but powerful figure whose influence within Iran’s intelligence and security apparatus has steadily grown. His stature reportedly increased after Ebrahim Raisi became president, with speculation that Mojtaba was being groomed for future leadership roles. Raisi’s death later altered those political calculations.

Iran’s political system centres on five key power holders and institutions. At the top is the Rahbar, who controls the government, military, judiciary and foreign policy, and serves as commander-in-chief of all armed forces. The Assembly of Experts appoints and oversees the supreme leader. The president, though influential, remains subordinate to the Rahbar and requires approval from the Guardian Council to contest elections. Parliament legislates and approves budgets, but its decisions can be vetoed by the Guardian Council.

Born on April 19, 1939, in the holy city of Mashhad, Khamenei rose from a clerical background to become a central figure in Iran’s opposition to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Arrested in 1963 for speeches against the Shah, he later emerged as a close associate of Ruhollah Khomeini during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

After surviving a bomb attack in 1981, Khamenei was elected Iran’s president the same year. He served two terms before being elevated to the post of supreme leader in 1989 following Khomeini’s death, a move that required constitutional changes. Supporters credit him with safeguarding Iran’s Islamic system, while critics accuse him of authoritarian rule and suppression of dissent.

The reported strike comes amid long-running tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States. Disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme, its ballistic missile development, opposition to Israel, influence across the Middle East, and years of economic sanctions imposed by Washington have repeatedly brought the region to the brink of wider conflict.

As uncertainty looms over Iran’s leadership, analysts say the choice of the next Rahbar will have far-reaching implications not only for the country’s domestic politics but also for stability across the Middle East.