Mojtaba Khamenei became the new Supreme Leader of Iran

After the death of his father, Mojtaba Khamenei has been chosen as the new Supreme Leader of Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled for 37 years, was killed on the first day of the war with Iran on 28 February, 2026 in an American-Israeli attack on Tehran.

• This decision is one of the biggest leadership changes in the Islamic Republic of Iran since the year 1989. Mojtaba’s appointment is expected to lead Iran’s political direction, regional strategy and relations with Western countries.
• Mojtaba Khamenei is 56 years old and is the second son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Despite coming from this background, he has mostly been a low-profile person in the country’s politics.
• Unlike many political leaders of Iran, Mojtaba never held any formal government position and rarely gave public speeches or interviews. He was also rarely seen in public in the country.
• Despite this, diplomatic reports and analysts have long stated that he had considerable influence behind the scenes in Iran’s political system.

About Mojtaba Khamenei

• Mojtaba Khamenei was born on 8 September, 1969 in Mashhad, Iran, which is a major religious city in north-eastern Iran. He studied at the Alavi School in Tehran and is also known for teaching several Iranian elite individuals.
• In his teenage years, he worked for some time in the Iran–Iraq war. Later he went to Qom, one of the most important centres of Shia Islamic scholarship, for religious studies.
• He entered the seminary system quite late, beginning his advanced theological training at around the age of 30.
• Mojtaba Khamenei is generally considered a mid-ranking Shia cleric. Some Iranian media and officials have recently begun referring to him as “Ayatollah”. This is a high clerical title. It is believed that this change is an attempt to strengthen his religious legitimacy as Supreme Leader.

Officially Islamic Republic of Iran

• Iran, also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Iraq in the west, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Armenia in the north-west, the Caspian Sea in the north, Turkmenistan in the north-east, Afghanistan in the east, Pakistan in the south-east and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf in the south.
• It ranks 17th in the world and is the sixth largest country in Asia. It is divided into five regions with 31 provinces. Tehran is the capital, the largest city and the financial centre of the country.
• Iran, which was once the centre of Zoroastrianism, underwent Islamization after the Muslim conquest in the 7th century AD. During the Islamic Golden Age and the Iranian Intermezzo, new developments occurred in literature, philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy and art, which was the period when Iranian Muslim dynasties ended Arab rule and revived the Persian language.

What are the reasons for the Iran-Israel conflict 2025?

• Relations between Iran and Israel have remained deeply hostile since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which transformed Iran from a close ally of Israel under the Shah into an Islamic republic openly hostile toward the Jewish state.
• Iran, governed by Shia Islamic principles, and Israel, a primarily Jewish state, are divided due to religious and ideological differences.
• Iran has been a strong supporter of Palestinian causes and provides assistance to organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which Israel considers terrorist organisations.
• This rivalry manifests through proxy conflicts with Iran-backed forces such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shia militias in Iraq, which Israel views as a direct threat to its security.
• Israel considers Iran’s nuclear programme a serious threat, fearing that the development of nuclear weapons could endanger its existence.
• Israel has been a strong critic of the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and has undertaken both direct and indirect actions to hinder Iran’s nuclear progress.