Did Ali Khamenei reject son Mojtaba as Iran’s Supreme Leader in his will? Report claims...

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, was reportedly not favoured by his father, Ali Khamenei, to lead the Islamic Republic, a US media report claimed citing an Iranian exile group. Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli joint airstrikes, apparently mentioned this in his will. The report in New York Post came after Mojtaba was selected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts as the country’s new Supreme Leader on Sunday (Mar 8), marking the first time the position passed from father to son in the Islamic Republic’s history.

The New York Post report cited Khosro Isfahani, a research director for the opposition group National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI).

“In Khamenei’s will, he explicitly asked Mojtaba not to be named as successor,” claimed Isfahani, who represents the political advocacy organisation of the Iranian diaspora headquartered in Washington.

“Mojtaba is an impotent young cleric who has achieved nothing in terms of political life,” Isfahani told the Post, adding that the late supreme leader felt that his son lacked the experience or capability to lead Iran. “All these years, he has been nothing without his father’s name.”

Multiple reports suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei’s selection was forced by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Several clerics opposed the move and boycotted the meeting where his selection was made, The Post report claimed.

“The Assembly of Experts that was supposed to pick the replacement of Khamenei didn’t vote for Mojtaba,” Isfahani claimed. “There was a lot of pushback against him, but under pressure from the IRGC, he was named as the successor.”

Was Khamenei opposed to Mojtaba taking over?

In Iran, the selection of the supreme leader through a hereditary line is happening for the first time. The leader, decided by the Assembly of Experts, must have high clerical credentials, management experience and broad public recognition. In the past, Ali Khamenei himself had publicly opposed dynastic succession. In 2025, he had reportedly identified three senior clerics as contingency options, which did not include Mojtaba, who is considered to have a low clerical rank and less formal governance experience compared with other senior leaders within the system.

Where is Mojtaba?

Since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which began on February 28, Mojtaba has not made an appearance or statement in public. Following speculations that he has been severely injured in the strikes, Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of President Masoud Pezeshkian, said on Wednesday (Mar 11) that Mojtaba is “safe and sound” despite injuries sustained during the ongoing war.

Addressing the reports, Yousef Pezeshkian, who is also a government adviser, said on Telegram, “I heard news that Mr Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I have asked some friends who had connections. They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound.”

Previously, Iranian state television had called Mojtaba Khamenei a “wounded veteran of the Ramadan war” but didn’t specify his injury.

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