Key facts
- Mojtaba Khamenei is Iran's third Supreme Leader, in office since March 2026. He is the son of the previous leader, Ali Khamenei, who was reported killed in the opening strikes of the 2026 war on 28 February 2026.
- Born 8 September 1969 in Mashhad; he is a mid-ranking cleric who joined the IRGC after secondary school and later studied in Qom.
- He held no official state post during his father's rule but was long seen as influential behind the scenes, with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- He was named Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts (announced 9 March 2026) amid reported IRGC pressure, in a contested, hereditary-style succession.
- His leadership oversaw the end of active fighting under the 14-point ceasefire deal of June 2026.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Mojtaba Khamenei is the third Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since March 2026. He is the second eldest son of Ali Khamenei, Iran's previous Supreme Leader, who was reported killed in the opening US–Israeli strikes of the 2026 Iran war on 28 February 2026. A mid-ranking cleric long rumoured to wield influence behind the scenes, Mojtaba rose to the top of Iran's power structure in a contested succession.
Background and early life
Mojtaba Khamenei was born on 8 September 1969 in Mashhad, in north-eastern Iran. After finishing secondary school in the late 1980s he served briefly in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps near the end of the Iran–Iraq War, then moved to Qom to pursue clerical studies and later taught at the seminary there. He is regarded as a mid-ranking cleric rather than a senior religious authority — a point critics raised about his elevation.
Ties to the IRGC and rise to power
Although he held no formal state position during his father's long rule, Mojtaba was widely seen as managing key levers of power behind the scenes and is considered close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. After Ali Khamenei's death, the Assembly of Experts — under reported IRGC pressure — named Mojtaba as Supreme Leader, announced on 9 March 2026. The hereditary character of the succession drew criticism inside and outside Iran.
Role in the 2026 war and the ceasefire
Mojtaba Khamenei's leadership coincided with the deadliest phase of the 2026 war and then its winding down. Under his rule Iran agreed to the 14-point Islamabad Memorandum, navigating hardliner opposition to the concessions on the nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz. His foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, led the negotiations.
Follow the whole Iran war & peace deal
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Iran's Supreme Leader in 2026?
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ali Khamenei, has been Iran's third Supreme Leader since March 2026. He was named by the Assembly of Experts on 9 March 2026 after his father was reported killed in the opening strikes of the 2026 war.
How old is Mojtaba Khamenei?
He was born on 8 September 1969 in Mashhad, making him 56 when he became Supreme Leader in 2026.
Why is Mojtaba Khamenei's succession controversial?
He is a mid-ranking cleric who held no official state post during his father's rule, and the Assembly of Experts named him amid reported IRGC pressure, giving the succession a hereditary character that drew criticism inside and outside Iran.
Sources & further reading
Primary reporting and analysis used to build this page. Treat all wartime figures as contested estimates and verify against the original source before reuse.