“The son of Iran's slain theocratic leader is a top contender to replace his father to steer the Islamic Republic in its worst conflict in decades, according to people familiar with the matter.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56 years old, likely would opt for an even more hard-line direction as supreme leader, say Iranian officials and analysts.
A body called the Assembly of Experts, dominated by conservative clerics, is voting to replace Ali Khamenei -- who was killed in a strike on Saturday -- state media said Wednesday. Official news agencies for the first time said the younger Khamenei was alive, spurring speculation he could step in.
Other contenders include Hassan Khomeini -- the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini -- who would be expected to seek a more moderate path.
Another top contender is Alireza Arafi, a hard-line cleric who was appointed as part of an interim government after Khamenei was killed. He is an ultraconservative who saw the slain leader as too lenient on social issues.
The younger Khamenei lost his wife and mother along with two other relatives in the strikes, according to Iranian state media. He is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij paramilitary, essential elements of Iran's repression apparatus.
"He will take his father's revenge against both Iranian society as well as Israel and the United States," said Saeid Golkar, an expert on Iran's security services who teaches at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. "This is the worst-case scenario."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that any leader appointed to replace Khamenei will be an "unequivocal target for elimination."
The Islamic Republic, long known for its authoritarianism and anti-Western policies, has taken a hard-line turn in recent years. Iran has responded to U.S. and Israeli strikes by attacking American bases and hotels in the United Arab Emirates, oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and water infrastructure in Kuwait.
That is the all-out-war the new supreme leader would have to oversee -- in addition to a national crisis that was under way before the conflict began. In January, security forces operating under the elder Khamenei killed thousands of protesters calling for regime change.
The younger Khamenei's ascendance would mark a shift away from the traditional religious leadership that was crucial to the founding of the Islamic Republic, said analysts and people close to the Iranian government. He represents the paramilitaries and more radical clerics that have emerged as the most powerful actors in Iran, they said.
Though Mojtaba Khamenei has long been considered a front-runner, his choice as successor would be controversial in Iran, where the 1979 revolution installed clerical rule and rejected hereditary monarchy as corrupt.” [1]
1. World News: Khamenei's Son Top Choice --- Mojtaba Khamenei likely would lead Iran in an even more hard-line direction. Faucon, Benoit. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 05 Mar 2026: A7.
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