Iranian Official Hints That Mojtaba Khamenei May Succeed His Father as Supreme Leader
An Iranian official suggested on Sunday that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been chosen to succeed his father as the country’s Supreme Leader.
“The name of Khamenei will endure,” said Ayatollah Hosseinali Eshkevari, a member of the Assembly of Experts—the religious council tasked with electing a new leader—in a video released to Iranian media.
“By a majority of votes, the one who will continue the work of Imam Khomeini and the martyr Imam Khamenei has been selected. The name of Khamenei will remain at the head of the State. The vote has been counted and the results will be announced shortly,” he added, without providing further details.
The secretary of the council, Hosseini Bushehri, will announce the name of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s successor—who was killed on 28 February at the start of the U.S.–Israeli offensive against Iran, according to Ahmad Alamolhoda, another cleric, speaking to state media.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington should have a say in the selection. “If he doesn’t get our approval, he won’t last long,” he told ABC News.
