Iran names Mojtaba, son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, new Supreme Leader

Iran’s Assembly of Experts has announced that Mojtaba Khamenei will succeed his slain father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s Supreme Leader, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, according to Reuters.

The official announcement came days after a report from Iran International, an anti-Tehran media outlet, first said that the 56-year-old hardliner had been chosen for the all-powerful role.

Mojtaba, a mid-ranking cleric with close ties to the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had long been viewed by elements of Iran’s ruling establishment as a potential successor to his father, who was killed in the joint US-Israeli strikes that triggered the ongoing armed conflict in the Middle East.