Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader, about a week after the assassination of his father, Ali Khamenei, in joint United States–Israeli strikes that have escalated tensions across the Middle East.
The powerful Assembly of Experts announced the appointment on Sunday, selecting the 56-year-old cleric to lead the country through what many observers describe as the most serious crisis in the Islamic Republic’s 47-year history.
Following the announcement, senior political figures and Iran’s powerful security institutions quickly pledged support for the new leader, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the country’s armed forces.
President Masoud Pezeshkian described the appointment as the beginning of a “new era of dignity and strength” for Iran.
“This valuable choice is a manifestation of the will of the Islamic nation to consolidate national unity; a unity that, like a solid barrier, has made the Iranian nation resistant to the conspiracies of the enemies,” he said.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also congratulated the new leader, pledging continued loyalty to the country’s national goals.
“We pledge that, in defence of the rights of the great Iranian nation, the advancement of national interests and security, and the realisation of the lofty goals of the Islamic revolution, we shall not falter for a moment,” he wrote.
Senior political figures also rallied behind the decision. Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani called for unity around the new leader as Iran confronts the ongoing conflict.
The head of the Expediency Council, Sadiq Larijani, said the appointment reinforced the need to continue on the “luminous” path of Iran’s first supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also welcomed the decision, describing support for the new leader as a “religious and national duty.”
In a separate statement, Iran’s defence council pledged loyalty to Mojtaba Khamenei, saying, “We will obey the commander-in-chief until the last drop of our blood.”
Although Mojtaba Khamenei has never held elected office or faced a public vote, he has long been regarded as a powerful figure within Iran’s political establishment, maintaining close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and key figures in the country’s ruling circle.
Al Jazeera
About The Author
