Khamenei’s son dominates succession debates in Iran

Noura Bendari

Who will succeed Supreme Leader of the Iranian Revolution, Ali Khamenei, is an issue that has returned to the surface in Iran.

This is especially true after a number of opposition media outlets claimed to have obtained documents proving that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, interferes in the appointment of senior officials in the Iranian regime, especially the military leaders of the Revolutionary Guard.

The same documents also revealed that Khamenei held a secret meeting with senior Revolutionary Guard commanders about means of paving the road for his son to succeed him, the same media said.

Elimination of competitors

According to the opposition website, Iran International, the documents point to efforts by Mojtaba to bypass President Ebrahim Raisi.

It reported that the son of the supreme leader described during a meeting with the leaders of the Revolutionary Guard the officials of Raisi’s government as not having sufficient ability or knowledge to manage the affairs of the country.

He even accused them of bringing Iran to a still situation, especially on the economic front, the website said.

Mojtaba seeks to exclude Raisi, especially after the success of the son of the supreme leader in June 2022 in sacking intelligence chief, Hussein Taib, from his post, although he was the most prominent confidant of the president.

Mojtaba is constantly working to remove any obstacles that hinder the fulfilment of his dream to succeed his father.

Therefore, he displaces, weakens and even eliminates potential rivals and any influential figures in the country.

During the aforementioned meeting, Mojtaba discussed the role played by his office in financing the drone and missile programme of the Revolutionary Guard.

Balloon testing

Iranian affairs specialist, Masoud Ebrahim Hassan, said debates about who will succeed Ali Khamenei have been going on for years now.

“This is due to the serious health condition the supreme leader is going through,” he told The Reference.

He added that the timing of the renewal of these debates is also significant because it coincides with popular anger against the policies of the Iranian supreme leader.

Hassan pointed out that the Iranian arena has witnessed the emergence of several potential successors to the supreme leader.

Mojtaba, he added, appeared during the last two years as the prime potential candidate in this regard.

“Although the Iranian president had ample chances two years ago to assume this position due to his experience, the appearance of Mojtaba has reduced Raisi’s chances,” he said.