Shadow Heir: Mojtaba Khamenei Emerges in Iran's Succession Race

Mojtaba Khamenei, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, has long been seen as a potential successor; after his father’s death in an Israeli strike, his stock has risen amid Iran’s succession dynamics, despite having no official government post. He’s tied to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard networks and the regime’s wealth foundations, and could be a preferred candidate for shared leadership among hard-liners as the Assembly of Experts chooses the next supreme leader amid ongoing war and nuclear tensions.