Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, is viewed as markedly more inclined than his father and predecessor to seek a nuclear weapon, according to a United States intelligence report.
Khamenei’s
father, Ali Khamenei, was killed on the opening day of the joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28, triggering a major conflict in West Asia. While he had long insisted on developing a nuclear weapon, American officials believed he was a bit hesitant, the New York Times reported.
Mojtaba Khamenei –– who has stayed out of public view ever since the war erupted –– has never publicly called for Iran to build nuclear weapons. However, US intelligence agencies reckon that the Iranian leader and a section of hardliners in the government that shot to prominence after the war are interested in advancing nuclear weaponry.
Pertinent to note that the current Iranian regime has proved to be more difficult to Washington in negotiations, while also asserting greater control over the Strait of Hormuz –– a major conflict zone between the US and Iran.
The United States and Iran have experienced a deeply hostile standoff over Tehran’s nuclear enrichment, marked by the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal that was signed under the presidency of Barack Obama.
‘Views From Before The War’
According to the New York Times, American officials have cautioned that most of the intelligence on Mojtaba Khamenei’s views is from before the strikes. He was severely injured in the attack that killed his father, and other family members.
Since the conflict broke out, he has not publicly appeared. According to the officials, the leader –– likely “disfigured” –– has limited his communication due to his wounds. Moreover, he avoids public appearances amid heightened security threats.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, chose to stay away from his father’s week-long funeral that drew enormous crowds from across the world. While he is in-charge of the government, he doesn’t exercise absolute authority, unlike his father who ruled the country for nearly four decades.
Iran Re-building Nuclear Sites?
Iran has moved towards preserving its nuclear assets after the US strikes on its key facilities –– Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan –– in June 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported.
American officials suggest that Iran has moved at least some centrifuges to a heavily fortified underground complex in central Iran that the United States call Pickaxe Mountain.
At present, West Asia remains embroiled in renewed escalation after the collapse of ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, with both sides intensifying strikes and threatening hopes for restoration of normalcy in the region.
