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| The 56-year-old is expected to continue the hardline rule of his father (Image: Tasnim News Agency) |
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes, has been chosen as his successor.
Unlike his father, the 56-year-old has largely kept a low profile. Only a small number of pictures and videos of him have ever been published, and he has never served in a government position, given public speeches, or given interviews. But for years there have been rumours that he held considerable influence behind the scenes in Iran.
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US diplomatic cables, which were published by WikiLeaks in the late 2000s, described him as "the power behind the robes" who was widely regarded as a "capable and forceful" figure within the regime, according to news agency AP.
Yet his selection could still prove controversial. The Islamic Republic was founded in 1979 after the monarchy was overthrown and its ideology is based on the principle that the supreme leader should be chosen for his religious standing and proven leadership, not through hereditary succession.
Ali Khamenei only spoke in broad terms about the Islamic Republic's future leadership during his time in power. One member of Iran's Assembly of Experts - the clerical body that selects the supreme leader - said two years ago that Ali Khamenei opposed the idea of his son being a candidate for future leadership. But he had never publicly addressed such speculation.
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| Mojtaba Khamenei has been tipped as the next leader for more than two decades (Image: EPA) |
So, who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Born on 8 September 1969 in the north-eastern city of
Mashhad, Mojtaba is the second of Ali Khamenei's six children. He received his secondary education at the religious
Alavi School in
Tehran.
At 17, Mojtaba served in the military for several short periods during the Iran-Iraq War, according to Iranian media. The eight-year bloody conflict made the regime even more suspicious of the US and the West, which supported Iraq.
Mojtaba continued his religious studies in
Qom, a holy city that is regarded as an important Shia theological center, in 1999. It's interesting that he didn't wear clerical clothes until this point, and it's not clear why he decided to go to a seminary at 30 when it's more common for people to do so when they're younger. Mojtaba remains a mid-ranking cleric, which could pose an obstacle to his acceptance as the new supreme leader.
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| Mojtaba Khamenei (Image: west asia news agency by Reuters) |
Before he was selected, some media outlets and officials close to centres of power in Iran began referring to Mojtaba Khamenei as "
Ayatollah", a senior clerical title. The shift appeared to some observers as an attempt to elevate his religious standing and present him as a credible leader.
As one of the requirements and prerequisites for a future leader in the seminary system, holding the rank of "Ayatollah" and teaching advanced classes are regarded as indicators of a person's scholarly level and knowledge. However, this has been done before. His father, Ali Khamenei, was quickly promoted to "Ayatollah" after he became Iran's second supreme leader in 1989.
Accusations of political interference
Mojtaba's name first entered the public spotlight during the 2005 presidential election, which resulted in the victory of
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a populist hardliner.
In an open letter to Khamenei, reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi accused Mojtaba of interfering in the vote through elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia, which distributed money to religious groups in order to help Ahmadinejad win.
Four years later, Mojtaba faced the same accusation again. The re-election of Ahmadinejad triggered mass protests across the country, known as the Green Movement. Some protesters chanted slogans opposing the idea that Mojtaba could succeed his father as Iran's supreme leader.
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| Protests known as the Green Movement ensued after the 2009 presidential election(Image: Getty Images) |
The outcome was referred to as an "electoral coup" by the deputy interior minister at the time, Mostafa Tajzadeh. He was imprisoned for seven years, which he attributed to "the direct wish of Mojtaba Khamenei".
After the 2009 election, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, two reformist candidates, were placed under house arrest. Iranian sources told
BBC Persian that Mojtaba met with Mousavi in February 2012 and advised him to end his protest. Now, as Iran's freshly chosen supreme leader, many expect Mojtaba to continue his father's hardline policies.
A man who has lost his father, mother, and wife in US-Israeli strikes is also thought by some to be unlikely to yield to Western pressure. But he also faces the daunting task of ensuring the survival of the Islamic Republic and convincing the public that he is the right person to lead the country out of political and economic devastation.
His leadership record remains largely untested, and the perception that the republic is turning into a hereditary system could further deepen public discontent.
Mojtaba is now a man who is marked. Last week, Israel's defense minister stated that the person chosen to succeed Ali Khamenei would be "an unequivocal target for elimination."
Source: BBC
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