Media Photo. The Council of Experts of Iran has appointed 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the tragically deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mojtaba Khamenei, born on September 8, 1969, in Mashhad—a significant holy city for Shiites—became the second child in the family of Ali Khamenei. He received an education in theology and has been studying at the religious center in Qom since 1999, later becoming a cleric and a theology teacher.
In 2004, he married the daughter of the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Gholam-Ali Adeli. Mojtaba was a supporter of Iran's sixth president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who held office from 2005 to 2013 and during whose presidency significant changes occurred in the country regarding liberal reforms and the nuclear program.
He actively supported Ahmadinejad in the elections of 2005 and 2009. In 2009, experts claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei played a key role in suppressing anti-government protests that erupted after the presidential elections.
According to media reports, he previously managed large financial assets in one of Iran's most significant banks—Ayandeh Bank—and also had a business in the hospitality sector in Europe and expensive real estate in the UK, Germany, and the UAE.
In November 2019, his name appeared on the US sanctions list amid increased uranium production in Iran. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated at the time that Mojtaba Khamenei "works closely with the commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, and with the Basij, promoting his father's destabilizing agenda in the region."
In September 2022, active discussions began regarding the health of Ali Khamenei, who had rarely appeared in public. Among the possible successors mentioned were then-President Ebrahim Raisi (who died in a plane crash in May 2024) and the lesser-known Mojtaba Khamenei. Observers noted that his selection could lead to conflicts within the Iranian political and religious leadership, as this position is not hereditary according to the Constitution of Iran.
In January 2026, during mass anti-government protests, The Times reported on a plan for the evacuation of Ali Khamenei from Tehran, according to which he intended to leave the country with family members, including Mojtaba Khamenei.
