How 'Invisible Overlord' Mojtaba Khamenei Mastered Power Avoiding All Titles

Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei as the next Supreme Leader on Monday, hinting that hardliners remain firmly in charge in Tehran a week after his father, Ali Khamenei, was assassinated by the US and Israel. The event also marked the beginning of the US-Israel's latest war on Tehran.

A mid-ranking cleric who amassed influence inside Iran's vast business networks and security forces under his father, Mojtaba Khamenei, had long been considered a frontrunner in the lead-up to the vote by the Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 clerics responsible for choosing the new leader after Ali Khamenei.

Why Mojtaba Khamenei Avoided Political Office

Mojtaba, 56, rarely appears in public and has never held formal political office. For years, he served as a power broker and gatekeeper around his father, operating from within the Office of the Supreme Leader. His position was often compared to the role played by Ahmad Khomeini, the son of Ruhollah Khomeini, who was a key aide and confidant of the cleric and the Islamic Republic's founder.

Analysts say Mojtaba gradually built influence across Iran's political, security and clerical institutions, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Mojtaba was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2019, which said he represented the supreme leader in an official capacity despite not holding public office.

Why Mojtaba Khamenei, Without Political Office, Held Power Within IRGC

During the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, Mojtaba served in the Habib Battalion, a unit made up largely of volunteers and connected to Tehran's emerging revolutionary networks. The battalion, which took part in several major battles during the conflict, operated under IRGC-connected forces, Iran International reported.

His tenure in the Habib Battalion proved significant for Mojtaba as many who fought alongside him later rose to senior positions in Iran's intelligence and security apparatus.

The wartime relationships are said to have helped Mojtaba build lasting connections inside the country's security establishment.

The choice is not without controversy. Critics have accused Mojtaba of playing a role in cracking down on dissent and shaping election outcomes. Furthermore, Iran's Constitution states that the Supreme Leader must possess deep knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and be recognised as a senior religious authority, something Mojtaba lacks.

While he studied seminaries of Qom under several prominent religious scholars, the 56-year-old is not widely considered to be among the highest-ranking clerics in Iran.

Mojtaba has effectively run the Beit, the Supreme Leader's office, for at least the past two decades. In practice, the Beit is seen as the core of the state itself and controls key security, political and financial levers.

Mojtaba's elevation to Supreme Leader signals that the Iranian authorities have opted for stability over experimentation at a time of crisis, CBS noted.

The 56-year-old's elevation comes as the US-Israeli campaign against Iran continues, with joint strikes targeting fuel depots and other locations inside the country, while Iranian missiles and drones have struck Gulf states.

While Trump has said the war could end only once Iran's ruling elite and military leadership are eliminated, Israel has warned that any successor of Khamenei will be a target.