<p>Though said to be "ordained and chosen by the Almighty himself", there is much politics and analysis that goes in choosing of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/iran">Iran's </a>Supreme Leader. </p><p>And so it was, that on the March 8, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was bestowed with the power of leading the war-torn nation and given the title of Supreme Leader.</p>.<p>The announcement was made by Iran’s Assembly of Experts and came merely a week after the senior Khamenei was killed in joint strikes by Israel and the US. The new Supreme Leader's wife also perished in the same attack that claimed his father.</p>.<p> <strong>A new 'son' rises</strong></p><p>Though the clerics frown upon choosing a leader from within the same family, the current scenario has turned the odds in Mojtaba Khamenei's favour. </p><p>The council reached a "majority consensus", and the junior Khamenei's name was announced, with the reason being stated that Iran's new leader was chosen with intention of being “hated by the enemy”.</p>.<p><strong>Who is Mojtaba Khamenei? </strong></p><p>Born on September 6, 1969, in the city of Mashhad, Mojtaba is the second of five children. He was raised under the shadow of revolution and witnessed his father agitating against the then Shah of Iran. </p><p>After spending a few tumultuous years where he saw his father being repeatedly arrested by the Shah’s secret police, the SAVAK, the family moved to Tehran after the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran.</p><p>It is during this period, Mojtaba attended the prestigious Alavi High School.</p>.<p><strong>Military years</strong></p><p>Later on, Mojtaba served in the the Iran-Iraq war with the Habib ibn Mazahir Battalion. This battalion was a division of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. It was here that Mojtaba formed lifelong ties with comrades who then ascended to high positions within the military establishments. </p><p>In 1989, Ali Khamenei became the Supreme Leader of Iran which led to Khamenei family gaining access to both military and monetary gains and having considerable clout over the population of Iran. </p>.<p><strong>'The power behind the robes'</strong></p><p>Though Mojtaba never held any official position in the regime, he is often referred to as 'the power behind the robes', according to an article published by WikiLeaks. </p><p>With his deep ties with the IRGC and the Intelligence services, Mojtaba served as 'principal gatekeeper'. There have been reports that he had been forming his own power base within the country.</p><p>During Donald Trump's first term in office, the US imposed sanctions on him for "advancing his father’s destabilising regional ambitions and oppressive domestic objectives.”</p>.<p><strong>How does his succession affect the crisis?</strong> </p><p>Not too long ago, Trump publicly announced that he needs to be involved in the decision-making if a new Supreme Leader was chosen. He also opposed the appointment of the junior Khamenei as "unacceptable". </p><p>This move could further push escalation in the West Asia region as both United States and Israel have sworn to eliminate the Iranian regime. </p>
<p>Though said to be "ordained and chosen by the Almighty himself", there is much politics and analysis that goes in choosing of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/iran">Iran's </a>Supreme Leader. </p><p>And so it was, that on the March 8, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was bestowed with the power of leading the war-torn nation and given the title of Supreme Leader.</p>.<p>The announcement was made by Iran’s Assembly of Experts and came merely a week after the senior Khamenei was killed in joint strikes by Israel and the US. The new Supreme Leader's wife also perished in the same attack that claimed his father.</p>.<p> <strong>A new 'son' rises</strong></p><p>Though the clerics frown upon choosing a leader from within the same family, the current scenario has turned the odds in Mojtaba Khamenei's favour. </p><p>The council reached a "majority consensus", and the junior Khamenei's name was announced, with the reason being stated that Iran's new leader was chosen with intention of being “hated by the enemy”.</p>.<p><strong>Who is Mojtaba Khamenei? </strong></p><p>Born on September 6, 1969, in the city of Mashhad, Mojtaba is the second of five children. He was raised under the shadow of revolution and witnessed his father agitating against the then Shah of Iran. </p><p>After spending a few tumultuous years where he saw his father being repeatedly arrested by the Shah’s secret police, the SAVAK, the family moved to Tehran after the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran.</p><p>It is during this period, Mojtaba attended the prestigious Alavi High School.</p>.<p><strong>Military years</strong></p><p>Later on, Mojtaba served in the the Iran-Iraq war with the Habib ibn Mazahir Battalion. This battalion was a division of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. It was here that Mojtaba formed lifelong ties with comrades who then ascended to high positions within the military establishments. </p><p>In 1989, Ali Khamenei became the Supreme Leader of Iran which led to Khamenei family gaining access to both military and monetary gains and having considerable clout over the population of Iran. </p>.<p><strong>'The power behind the robes'</strong></p><p>Though Mojtaba never held any official position in the regime, he is often referred to as 'the power behind the robes', according to an article published by WikiLeaks. </p><p>With his deep ties with the IRGC and the Intelligence services, Mojtaba served as 'principal gatekeeper'. There have been reports that he had been forming his own power base within the country.</p><p>During Donald Trump's first term in office, the US imposed sanctions on him for "advancing his father’s destabilising regional ambitions and oppressive domestic objectives.”</p>.<p><strong>How does his succession affect the crisis?</strong> </p><p>Not too long ago, Trump publicly announced that he needs to be involved in the decision-making if a new Supreme Leader was chosen. He also opposed the appointment of the junior Khamenei as "unacceptable". </p><p>This move could further push escalation in the West Asia region as both United States and Israel have sworn to eliminate the Iranian regime. </p>
