March 4, 2026

NYT: Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba may become his successor

Ali Khamenei's son, 56-year-old Mojtaba, has become the main contender for the post of Supreme Leader of Iran following a meeting of the Assembly of Experts, which is responsible for electing the country's religious leader. This is reported by The New York Times, citing sources. High-ranking clerics considered announcing Mojtaba Khamenei's appointment this morning, March 4, sources told the publication. According to them, the Council abandoned this idea due to concerns that the new religious leader of Iran would immediately become a target for the US and Israel. The opposition Iranian television channel Iran International, based in Great Britain, stated that the Council chose Mojtaba as Supreme Leader under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Sources at Deutsche Welle reported the same. Iranian authorities have not yet confirmed this information. The NYT material also mentions that the IRGC insisted on Mojtaba's appointment. According to journalists, other candidates include Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini, Hassan Khomeini. Any new supreme leader of Iran will become an "unconditional target for elimination" for Israel, stated Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. On the night of March 1, Iranian authorities confirmed the death of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Seyed Ali Khamenei. Earlier, Israel and the US stated that the Ayatollah died during a missile attack on his residence. Ali Khamenei ruled Iran for almost 37 years. The farewell ceremony for the Supreme Leader of Iran will begin on March 4 at 10:00 PM local time (9:30 PM Moscow time) and will last for three days at the Imam Khomeini complex in Tehran, reported the Iranian agency Tasnim.