Iran's Assembly of Experts elected Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei as the next supreme leader under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards, Iran International reported.
The appointment comes after days of speculation over who would step in after his father was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Saturday.
The 56-year-old, who is also Khamenei’s eldest son, was chosen to take charge of the country by Iran’s Assembly of Experts, Iranian International reported on Tuesday. The report, citing sources, also said that Mojtaba was elected under pressure from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
His selection, however, may raise questions, as the Islamic Republic has often criticised hereditary rule and presented itself as a fairer system. Khamenei himself reportedly did not include him in a list of possible successors he prepared last year. Within Iran's Shia Muslim clerical establishment, succession from father to son is not viewed positively.
bd-pratidin/GR
