Khomeini’s grandson eyes succession to top Shiite spiritual leadership

By Ali Ragab

Ali Khomeini, grandson of the founder of Iranian Islamic regime late Rohullah Khomeini, has travelled to Iran for teaching at the Najaf Scientific Hawza, a seminary where Shi’a Muslim clerics are trained. His visit was seen by some experts as a move to make him a successor to Ali al-Sistani, commonly known as Ayatollah Sistani in Iranian Shiite marja in Iraq.

Khomeini – the grandson – was born on April 10, 1985, four years before the death of the grandfather, inheriting the legacy of religious education.

During the era of Mohammad Reza Shah, Khomeini -the grandfather- was exiled in 1964 to Turkey then to Iraq due to his opposition to the Shah. However, the grandson’s current visit to Iraq was to teach Twelver, one of the Shiite sects in Islam.

Ali Khomeini is Javad al-Shahristani’s student and son-in-law. He has two sons: Mohamed Ali and Mohamed Hussei. Shahristani is Sistani’s deputy,  cousin and son-in-law.

Experts of the Iranian affairs believe that Ali Khomeini’s visit to Najaf and his kinship with Javad Shahrastani and Sistani bolster that there are ways of  Ahmad Khomeini’s succession to Sistani’s leadership, ensuring Iran’s control over  about 200 million Shiites worldwide.

Ali Khomeini’s stands towards the U.S. and the Iranian regime are not diiferent from his grandfather’s ones; in his speech in February 2018, Ali Khomeini focused on the significance of Iranian Revolutions’ principles, which were laid down by the grandfather. Hi speech came amid a wave of protests took place in the Iranian streets. He stressed that the maintenances of the Iranian Revolution  and the unity of Iranian is a must, al-KawtharT.V. reported.

“We are proud of the leadership of the Islamic revolution [in an indication to the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei],” Ali Khomeini was quoted by Tasnim news agency.

As for his stance towards the U.S., Al Khomeini sees the United States of America as “the Great Satan,” describing U.S. President Donald Trump a “child,’ whose policy isolated the united states away from the world, according to Mehr news agency.