The second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been appointed Iran’s new supreme leader, according to state media.
The 56-year-old younger Khamenei was appointed his father’s successor on Sunday following a vote by Iran’s assembly of experts, a body of clerics in charge of appointing the country’s top authority.
His father was killed last Saturday during US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
Khamenei, who was close to his late father, has been mentioned as a possible successor in recent years, but he has never spoken openly about it.
Ahead of Khamenei’s succession announcement, Ayatollah Hosseinali Eshkevari, a member of the assembly of experts, stated that the group had voted and selected a candidate.
“The name of Khamenei will continue,” Eshkevari said in a video published in Iranian media.
“The vote has been cast and will be announced soon.”
Above the president, Iran’s supreme leader has the final say on all state affairs in the Islamic Republic.
Khamenei’s elevation to the position might usher in a dynasty reminiscent of the Pahlavi monarchy prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution.
On Friday, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled Iranian crown prince, announced that he had accepted the “call” to become the country’s future leader.
Pahlavi is the eldest son of Iran’s last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and is largely recognized as the most prominent figure opposing the Iranian government.
Meanwhile, the White House has yet to formally respond on Khamenei’s appointment.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump stated that the next Iranian supreme leader “is not going to last long” unless the Middle Eastern country first obtains American permission.
Trump has frequently stated that he must be contacted before the country’s leadership is chosen, but Iran has rejected the proposal.
The assembly of experts said Khamenei was picked after a “decisive vote” in a statement.
The clerical authority asked Iranians, particularly seminary and university intellectuals, to remain united and support Khamenei.
