Mojtaba Khamenei

Mojtaba Khamenei
مجتبی خامنه‌ای
Khamenei in 2019
Personal details
Born
Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei

(1969-09-08) 8 September 1969 (age 55)
Mashhad, Imperial State of Iran
Spouse
Zahra Haddad-Adel
​
(m. 2004)​
Children3
Parents
EducationIslamic Seminary of Qom
Military service
AllegianceIran
Branch/serviceBasij
Years of service1987–2010
RankCommanding officer
Battles/warsIran–Iraq War
Green Revolution
TitleAyatollah
Alma materQom Seminary
Religious life
ReligionShia Islam
DenominationTwelver
JurisprudenceUsuli
Senior posting
Teacher

Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei (Persian: سید مجتبی حسینی خامنه‌ای; born 8 September 1969) is an Iranian Shia cleric and son of Ali Khamenei and the possible successor of current Supreme Leader of Iran. He served in the Iran–Iraq War from 1987 to 1988.[1] He also reportedly took control of the Basij militia that was used to suppress the protests over the 2009 election.[2][3]

He is considered as one of the possible candidates to succeed his father Ali Khamenei, who has been the leader of Iran for over three decades.[4][5][6]

Early life and education

Mojtaba was born in Mashhad in 1969 and is the second son of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme leader of Iran.[7][8][9] After graduating from high school, he studied theology. His early teachers included his own father and Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.[8]

In 1999, he continued his studies in Qom to become a cleric. Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani and Mohammad Bagher Kharazi were his teachers there.[8][10]

Mojtaba Khamenei and other members of Qom Seminary on 15 March 2016

Political activities and influence

Support for Ahmadinejad

Khamenei was affiliated with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,[6] and supported Ahmadinejad in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections.[11] Journalists stated that he may "have played a leading role in orchestrating" Ahmadinejad's electoral victory in 2009.[2][8]

Khamenei was speculated to have been "a key figure in orchestrating the crackdown against anti-government protesters" in June 2009.[12] He is believed to have been directly in charge of the paramilitary Basij, a blackout of his name in the regime press notwithstanding.[2]

In an open letter, Mehdi Karroubi, a reformist candidate in the 2009 election, accused Mojtaba Khamenei of conspiring to rig the election in Ahmadinejad's favor, referring to illegal interference of "a network".[13]

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later accused Mojtaba Khamenei of embezzling from the state treasury.[14]

Speculation as possible successor

Mojtaba is reported to have a strong influence over his father and is talked about as his possible successor.[2][15] This is thought by some to present a problem, for the Supreme Leader needs to be elected by the Assembly of Experts from among senior Shia Islamic scholars, but it has been noted that the previous incumbent, Ruhollah Khomeini, exerted a strong influence in favor of the choice of Khamenei’s father.[6]

Mojtaba Khamenei and his children in Quds Day in 2018

The Guardian argues that "The strength of Mojtaba's following has not been demonstrated", and while he wears clerical robes he "by no means has the theological status" to rise to Supreme Leader, although it notes that.[2] According to the Los Angeles Times, Mojtaba's religious and political stature may still not be enough for Ali Khamenei to one day unveil his son as his successor.[11] However, the Assembly of Experts is considered by The Atlantic to be a ceremonial body without any real power.[16][17]

According to The Guardian and French newspaper Libération, among other sources, he is widely believed to control large financial assets.[2][14] This allegation was rejected by Assembly of the Forces of Imam's Line, an Iranian political group led by his uncle Hadi Khamenei.[18]

During the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi, both Raisi and Motjaba Khameini were speculated as likely future successors as supreme leader. Following the death of Raisi in 2024, Mojtaba Khameini has been considered favored for the position.[19][20]

Personal life

Mojtaba teaches theology in the Qom seminary.[21] Mojtaba Khamenei married Zahra Haddad-Adel in 2004.[22][23] Their first child, a son named Mohammad Bagher, was born in 2007.[24] The couple's second child, a daughter named Fatemeh Sadaat, was born in 2013. A second son, Mohammad Amin, was born in 2017.[citation needed]

Financial assets

Mojtaba Khamenei is widely believed to control significant financial assets in banks such as Bank Ayandeh.[14][25].

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mojtaba Khamenei.
  1. ^ "Mojtaba Khamenei and Mahdi Hashemi". Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Borger, Julian (8 July 2009). "Khamenei's son takes control of Iran's anti-protest militia". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  3. ^ Sahimi, Mohammad (20 August 2009). "Nepotism & the Larijani Dynasty". Los Angeles: PBS. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  4. ^ Fleishman, Jeffrey (25 June 2009). "Iran supreme leader's son seen as power broker with big ambitions". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  5. ^ Staff. "IRAN: EXPAT SOURCE'S INFORMATION AND VIEWS ON MOJTABA KHAMENEI, AND THIS SOURCE'S PITCH FOR USG FUNDS". The Telegraph. WikiLeaks. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Julian Borger (22 June 2009). "Mojtaba Khamenei: gatekeeper to Iran's supreme leader". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  7. ^ "The Man in the Shadow: Mojtaba Khamenei". PBS. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d The Man in the Shadow: Mojtaba Khamenei Archived 9 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Tehran Bureau, 16 July 2009
  9. ^ Khalaji, Mehdi (February 2012). "Supreme Succession. Who Will Lead Post-Khamenei Iran?" (PDF). The Washington Institute. Washington, DC. Archived from the original (Policy Focus (No. 117)) on 16 April 2014.
  10. ^ Diba, Bahman Aghai (4 March 2011). "Supreme Leader of Iran and His Successor". Payvand. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  11. ^ a b Jeffrey Fleishman (25 June 2009). "Iran supreme leader's son seen as power broker with big ambitions". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  12. ^ Jeffrey Fleishman (25 June 2009). "Khamenei's son: Iran experts say he plays key role in protest crackdown". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  13. ^ Shahir Shahidsaless (19 June 2009). "The IRGC shakes its iron fist". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2009.
  14. ^ a b c "Series of incriminations rips through Iran's conservative camp". Al Arabiya. 15 January 2012. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  15. ^ Slavin, Barbara (20 September 2022). "The Supreme Leader is still alive. But when he does eventually die, how will succession play out?". Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  16. ^ Takeyh, Ray (23 February 2016). "The Myth of a Meaningful Vote in Iran". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  17. ^ "Anomalies in Iran's Assembly of Experts Election". Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  18. ^ Olfat pour, Mohammad Ali. "Why do they fear Mojtaba Khamenei". Assembly of the Forces of Imam's Line. Khabar Farsi. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  19. ^ Solomon, Erika (20 May 2024). "After Raisi's Death, Speculation Over Succession Turns to Ayatollah's Son". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  20. ^ Yan, Sophia; Makoii, Akhtar (20 May 2024). "Iranian president's helicopter crash death clears field for Khamenei's son". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Iran's Political Elite". United States Institute of Peace. 11 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  22. ^ Tait, Robert (26 February 2008). "Ahmadinejad favors his relatives". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  23. ^ Bazoobandi, Sara (11 January 2013). "The 2013 presidential election in Iran" (PDF). MEI Insight. 88. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  24. ^ "Expat source's information and views on Mojtaba Khamenei". The Telegraph. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  25. ^ Borger, Julian (8 July 2009). "Khamenei's son takes control of Iran's anti-protest militia". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.