Israel has warned that whoever is chosen as the next supreme leader of Iran will be “a target for elimination,” even as reports suggest that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, may soon take over the powerful position.
Israeli media reported that Mojtaba Khamenei has been selected as the successor to his father and could soon become Iran’s supreme leader. Senior Israeli officials stated that Iran’s Assembly is expected to formally announce his appointment in the coming hours. However, there has been no independent confirmation of the development from Iran’s official state media so far.
Earlier, US media reported that Mojtaba, who is 56 years old, had emerged as the leading candidate for the position of supreme leader. Mojtaba is the second eldest son of Ali Khamenei.
The report also said that Iran’s Assembly of Experts had chosen Mojtaba as the country’s new head of state, allegedly under strong pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Mojtaba is believed to have played a major role in running his late father’s office and maintains close ties with the senior leadership of the IRGC and the Quds Force, according to the report.
Israeli media described Mojtaba as having a more hard-line stance than his father and alleged that he was involved in the violent crackdowns on protesters in Iran. In November 2019, the United States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Mojtaba. He was designated for representing the supreme leader in an official capacity despite never being formally elected or appointed to a government position.
The US Treasury had said that Ali Khamenei had delegated some of his leadership responsibilities to Mojtaba. It added that Mojtaba worked closely with the commander of the IRGC-Quds Force and the Basij Resistance Force to advance his father’s regional ambitions and domestic policies.
Reports have also suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei has access to luxury properties in London and maintains financial accounts in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Meanwhile, the chief of United States Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, warned Iran that the ongoing military strikes would continue and that the operation’s objectives would be achieved.
“Our military objectives are crystal clear, and our people are executing an immensely complex and historic mission with relentless lethality, conviction, and professionalism. And we've just begun. But I have the utmost confidence that we, alongside our partners, will absolutely achieve our military objectives,” he said.
The conflict in the Middle East has now entered its fifth day following joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Ali Khamenei along with several other key figures in the country. In response, Tehran has launched retaliatory strikes targeting American military bases and Israeli assets across the region.
Separately, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said whoever is chosen as Iran’s next supreme leader would become a direct target. “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be a target for elimination,” Katz wrote on X.
Israel also said it had targeted a building on Tuesday linked to Iran’s Assembly of Experts — the body responsible for selecting the next supreme leader. Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed in an Israeli strike on Saturday, an attack that triggered the ongoing conflict.
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