The Islamic regime has elected a new supreme leader, Assembly of Experts member Ahmad Alamolhoda confirmed on Sunday, adding that Hosseini Bushehri is now responsible for announcing the decision, semi-official Mehr news agency reports.
Early indications from the clerical body have signaled that Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will become the new supreme leader, but his name has yet to be formally announced.
“The most suitable candidate, approved by the majority of the Assembly of Experts, has been determined,” said Mohsen Heydari, a member of the selection body, according to the Iranian Student News Agency news agency.
Assembly of Experts member Ayatollah Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri noted on Sunday that while “some obstacles” remain, there is nearly a consensus, according to Mehr reported earlier in the day, hinting that earlier disagreements on Motjaba’s appointment had not yet been fully quelled.
Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, another member of the Assembly of Experts, was recorded stating that a candidate had been selected, based on the late supreme leader’s advice that Iran’s top leader should “be hated by the enemy” rather than praised by it.
“Even the Great Satan (US) has mentioned his name,” Heidari Alekasir said of the chosen successor, days after US President Donald Trump said that Mojtaba was an “unacceptable” choice for him.
The announcement had reportedly been delayed over security fears that he too could be targeted, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed officials. Once Motjaba’s name has been announced, authorities fear he will be targeted by Israel and the US.
The IDF’s Farsi account confirmed on X that it would target the newly-selected supreme leader.
“After neutralizing the tyrant Khamenei, the terrorist regime of Iran is attempting to rebuild itself and select a new leader. Iran’s Assembly of Experts, which has not convened for decades, will soon gather in the city of Qom. We want to tell you that the hand of the State of Israel will continue to pursue every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor,” the account published. “We warn all those who intend to participate in the successor selection meeting that we will not hesitate to target you either. This is a warning!”
Disagreements erupt over appointment of Khamenei’s son
While Khamenei may have advised to pick a candidate not endorsed by the US, Khamenei was reportedly deeply opposed to the appointment of his son, fearing it would bring back a monarchy-like structure to the Islamic regime, Iran International reported last week, citing sources within the offices of the Assembly of Experts.
“Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not pleased with the idea of his son’s leadership and never allowed this issue to be raised during his lifetime,” one Assembly member told the chairman and members of the body’s leadership in calls, the sources told the Iranian diaspora site.
The past few days have also seen significant disagreements break out over Motjaba’s appointment, some rejecting his new leadership role due to his lack of religious legitimacy, and some taking the same issue that Khamenei expressed. Iran International reported last week that eight members of the 88-member Assembly of Experts had refused to attend the vote.
He has never held a formal position in the Islamic regime’s government, though fought during the Iran-Iraq war and obtained the clerical rank of Hojjatoleslam after studying under religious conservatives in the seminaries of Qom.
The assembly met, mostly online, on Thursday to discuss the appointment after “heavy pressure” from the Revolutionary Guards to appoint Motjaba.
The second son has reportedly formed close ties with senior leadership in the IRGC, according to The Guardian, including Ahmad Vahidi, the newly appointed IRGC commander; Hossein Taeb, a former head of the IRGC’s intelligence organization; and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Reuters contributed to this story.