Iran International, a Persian-language international media outlet with ties to Iranian regime opponents, is reporting that Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the only body empowered to appoint or dismiss a supreme leader, has named Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of current leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as his successor.
The outlet also reports that Mojtaba Khamenei may assume the office of supreme leader before his father dies. It’s no secret that the 85-year-old Ali Khamenei is in poor health. But the meeting of the Assembly of Experts was called suddenly and with no warning by Khamenei. The 60-member body was instructed to decide on the succession immediately under strict confidentiality.
There was reportedly little opposition to Mojtaba Khamenei’s elevation. The second son had been assuming a higher profile in the last two years. “Mojtaba has been groomed for leadership, taking on a more active and central role in decision-making related to the Iranian regime.,” YNet News reported.
Why Mojtaba? Iran is perhaps the most factionalized major country in the world. This makes it nearly impossible to govern. The factions agree on very little except the supreme leader must be weak and malleable.
Khamenei was able to rule because of his alliance with the Revolutionary Guard and his purging of Khomenei loyalists. His gradual assimilation of enormous wealth — he’s worth north of $100 billion — has allowed him to buy the loyalty of important factions like the Guards and the National Iran Oil Company (NIOC). […]
— Read More: pjmedia.com
