Buenos Aires, March 8 (NA) – Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, the second son of the assassinated Ali Khamenei, has been elected as the new Ayatollah and Supreme Spiritual Leader of Iran, as announced tonight on the country's state television. Before the official confirmation, thousands of supporters of the Iranian Shia sector took to the streets to celebrate the designation, carrying large portraits of Mojtaba Khamenei. He will thus be the third Ayatollah since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, led by Ruhollah Khomeini, who after his death in 1989 was succeeded in that position by Ali Khamenei. Mojtaba Khamenei, who maintained a very low public profile during his father's tenure, has long been considered one of the most influential figures within Iran's ruling system, despite rarely appearing in public or holding political office. For years, he was a member of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which influenced his appointment now by the Assembly of Experts. The new spiritual leader maintained strong ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and had great influence within the regime during his father's 36 years in power. Through his Truth Social account, US President Donald Trump stated that if the appointment of the new Ayatollah is true, “he is not going to last long” in the position.
