Iran’s Assembly of Experts names Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader

Iran’s Assembly of Experts said it had selected Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as the Islamic Republic’s third supreme leader with an overwhelming majority vote during an emergency session early Monday.

In a statement, the clerical body said the meeting was convened immediately after reports that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in a joint U.S.–Israeli attack on Febraury 28. It said the leadership transition was carried out “without interruption” to prevent a power vacuum during wartime conditions.

The Assembly of Experts also called on Iranian citizens to pledge allegiance to the new leader and support political stability in the country.

Reacting to the development, U.S. President Donald Trump declined to comment directly on Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment in an interview with the Times of Israel, saying only: “We’ll see what happens.”

Trump earlier told ABC News that if Iran’s next leader did not receive approval from Washington, “he will not last long,” adding that the United States should have a role in shaping Iran’s future leadership.

With the death of Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic has for the first time in its 47-year history seen the son of a supreme leader succeed his father, marking an unprecedented hereditary transfer of power.

Mojtaba Khamenei, who has rarely appeared in public, has long been viewed as an influential figure behind the scenes within the supreme leader’s office and parts of Iran’s security establishment.

Now formally elevated to the top of Iran’s political structure, Mojtaba Khamenei moves from the shadows of power to lead a system that has ruled the country for more than four decades.

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