Reports: Iran to Elect Hardliner as New Supreme Leader
The New York Times reports that Iran’s clerics are close to selecting the hardliner Mojtaba Khomeini as the new supreme leader of Iran. Khamenei is the son of the deceased supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.–Israeli strikes this weekend.
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He will be the third supreme leader of Iran, following both his father, Ali Khamenei, and his predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini.
Mojtaba Khamenei served in the Iran-Iraq war in the Habib Battalion and later attended seminary in Qom, the religious center of Iran. Khamenei, like his father, is a Shia cleric.
His presumed selection as supreme leader comes after a political career of over 2 decades. Khamenei supported hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the 2005 and 2009 elections in Iran. He was sanctioned by the treasury in 2019.
