New supreme leader takes job as Iran faces unprecedented “existential crisis,” says observer

2026-03-09 - 10:04

Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father Ali Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader, is going to be a hardliner, as he takes over the country facing an unprecedented crisis, a former US ambassador in the region says. Gary Grappo, former US Ambassador to Oman, said Mojtaba Khamenei lost his father and some members of his immediate family to attacks by the US and Israel. “We can dismiss any thought that we’re going to get off to a good start with this individual,” Grappo, who was US former deputy chief of mission in Saudi Arabia, told CNN on Sunday. “He’s most definitely a hardliner and facing what I think is truly an existential crisis unlike anything the country has faced in its 47-year history,” he added, referring to when the Islamic republic was established in 1979. Grappo called Moijtaba Khamenei “a very powerful figure” despite not having occupied any official positions in the past. “He’s powerful because he ran his father’s office... you could consider it to be akin to the chief of staff with his hands on intelligence, economic policy, security policy, and, of course, all the political affairs as well as religious affairs,” he said.