{"id":"f-73cd9b4b27-16d7d265-c6ad-57fc-96a6-e05f5be46eec","title":"Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s Third Supreme Leader amid airstrikes and global defiance?","description":"A 55-year-old veteran of the Iran-Iraq War with deep IRGC ties and US sanctions, his elevation consolidates power amidst national mourning.","timestamp":1773038619,"category":"international","headline":"Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s Third Supreme Leader amid airstrikes and global defiance?","modifiedHeadline":"Mojtaba Khamenei is Iran's new Supreme Leader!","subCategories":["scid_afe28127"],"subcategoriesName":["International Political News"],"region":"IN","bundleMetaData":{"bundleId":"c80449a0-0ad6-472b-8d17-5747dd8f5c83","bundleTitle":"Around the globe","cardData":null},"iabCategoryId":"386","fcSummary":"ayatollah mojtaba hosseini khamenei has been appointed the third supreme leader of iran, following his father's death in a us-israeli airstrike. the assembly of experts confirmed the decision, signaling a swift power transition. mojtaba, a veteran and previously sanctioned for his influence within his father's office, succeeds a leader who shaped iran for decades. president trump criticized the appointment, deeming him \"unacceptable\" and warning of renewed conflict.","summary":"Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei, son of deceased leader, as new Supreme Leader amid US sanctions & global defiance. Rapid power shift.","ctaUrl":"https://trends.glance.com/newz/astrology/IN/en/news9/f-73cd9b4b27-16d7d265-c6ad-57fc-96a6-e05f5be46eec","sourceUrl":"https://www.news9live.com/world/mojtaba-khamenei-named-irans-third-supreme-leader-amid-airstrikes-and-global-defiance-2940756","bannerImage":"https://g-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/fc/image/_WAfk9tZ9ai0.webp","content":"

New Delhi: In a midnight announcement, the Assembly of Experts has officially appointed Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the Third Supreme

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Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The elevation of the 55-year-old cleric follows the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed just one week ago in a joint US-Israeli airstrike in Tehran.

A Constitutional Coronation

Invoking Article 108 of the Constitution, the Assembly of Experts confirmed the appointment in a statement issued shortly after midnight local time. “By a decisive vote, the Assembly has introduced Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as the leader of the sacred system,” the body declared, signalling a rapid consolidation of power as the nation reels from the loss of its long-standing patriarch.

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From the Frontlines to the Altar of Power

Mojtaba Khamenei, born in Mashhad in 1969, is no stranger to the inner workings of the Iranian state. His life has been defined by the Islamic Revolution.

A veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, Mojtaba’s time on the battlefield forged deep, unbreakable bonds with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite military force that remains the backbone of the regime.

He was educated in the seminaries of Qom, Iran’s epicentre of Shia learning, under the tutelage of top clerics.

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Though never holding an elected office, the US Treasury Department sanctioned him in 2019, noting that he acted as a key representative for his father’s office, wielding significant unofficial influence.

Trump and the “lightweight” label

The succession has already drawn a fiery response from the United States. President Donald Trump, who recently suggested he should have a personal hand in selecting Iran’s next leader, drawing a comparison to his involvement with Delcy Rodriguez in Venezuela, blasted the move.

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“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight,” Trump was quoted as saying. Labelling Mojtaba “unacceptable,” Trump warned that the continuation of the elder Khamenei’s aggressive policies would lead to “renewed conflict” and stated he would prefer a leader capable of bringing “harmony and peace.”

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Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s Third Supreme Leader amid airstrikes and global defiance?

SUMMARY