PROFILE: Mojtaba Khamenei, the gatekeeper now leading Iran

2026-03-09 - 17:24

Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old cleric who spent decades as the most powerful “gatekeeper” in the Islamic Republic, was named Iran’s third Supreme Leader on Sunday, formalising a transition from the shadows to the pinnacle of state authority. His appointment by the Assembly of Experts follows the Feb. 28 assassination of his father, Ali Khamenei, in an air strike on his Tehran compound. For years, the younger Khamenei was described by diplomats and analysts as the “hidden power” behind his father’s robes, wielding immense influence over the country’s security apparatus and the Office of the Supreme Leader without ever holding a formal government post. The Man in the Shadows Born in 1969 in the religious centre of Mashhad, Mojtaba is the second son of the late leader. His upbringing was defined by the revolutionary fervour of the 1970s; his father was a frequent target of the Shah’s secret police, SAVAK. Following the 1979 revolution, the family moved to Tehran, where Mojtaba attended the Alavi High School, a prestigious training ground for the new regime’s elite. While his father climbed to the presidency and eventually the supreme leadership in 1989, Mojtaba remained largely out of the public eye. However, US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks in 2008 identified him as a “primary gatekeeper” who managed access to his father and allegedly monitored communication to safeguard the elder Khamenei’s authority. Military and IRGC Ties The cornerstone of Mojtaba’s power is his deep-rooted alliance with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He joined the military in 1987 and served in the Habib Battalion during the final years of the Iran-Iraq War. This service allowed him to forge lifelong bonds with figures who later became heads of Iran’s intelligence and security wings. According to the US Treasury, which sanctioned him in 2019, he worked closely with the IRGC’s Quds Force and the Basij volunteer militia. He is widely believed to have played a central role in orchestrating the crackdown on the 2009 “Green Movement” protests following the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Clerical Credentials Mojtaba’s religious standing has been a point of internal debate. He began his theological studies in Tehran under hisfather and Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi before moving to the holy city of Qom in 1999. There, he was mentored by arch-conservative clerics, including Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi. Though critics once questioned his theological depth, his profile within the seminaries grew steadily. In 2022, state-linked media began referring to him as an “Ayatollah,” a title essential for any candidate seeking to lead the theocracy. His supporters view him as a defender of the “Velayat-e Faqih” (Guardianship of the Jurist), while his education under Mesbah-Yazdi signals a likely disdain for democratic or reformist elements within the system. A Controversial Succession His elevation to