Mojtaba Khamenei Appointed Iran's Supreme Leader

Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since his appointment following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei. Mojtaba Khamenei was named shortly after Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike at the start of the Middle East war. Ali Khamenei had held the post since 1989.

Unseen since being named, Mojtaba Khamenei is reported to have been wounded in the same strike. He has issued a dozen written messages that continue the confrontational tone of his father's statements. In a statement read on Thursday, Mojtaba Khamenei said the malicious enemy was seeking to plant the seeds of doubt, despair, fear, mistrust and division.

Khamenei held no government position before his appointment. He was viewed as second-in-command at the office of the supreme leader under chief gatekeeper Mohammad Golpayegani. He is also described as close to the leadership of the Revolutionary Guards, a connection that may have influenced his selection by the Assembly of Experts.

One of the few official records of his influence came in November 2019 when US sanctions were announced against him and other senior officials for advancing Iran's radical agenda. The sanctions notice stated that Mojtaba Khamenei had worked closely with commanders of the Quds Force and the Basij militia.

Khamenei was born in Mashhad and studied theology in Qom. He held the rank of hojatoleslam and was presented as an ayatollah upon his appointment. His wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, died in the strikes that killed Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian authorities.

Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources and Western intelligence reports, that Mojtaba Khamenei has amassed wealth estimated at more than $100 million through oil sales and investments in real estate.