Iran has had its controversial appointment of a new supreme leader in Mojtaba Khamenei who is the son of the late Ali Khamenei who was the former supreme leader of Iran although a number of quarters were against this appointment.
Did Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Really Reject His Son Mojtaba Khamenei As Iran’s Supreme leader In His Will? Fresh Reports Claim That…
In an article by New York post, analysts indicate that in his own will the late Khamenei has expressly stated that his son Mojtaba should not succeed him arguing that he is inexperienced and a poor politician who would fail to lead Iran. According to Khosro Isfahani, who is the research director of the opposition group National Union of Democracy, Mojtaba is an ‘impotent young cleric who has not done anything in regards to political life’. Even President Donald Trump had come out to declare Mojtaba as an unacceptable candidate, stating that Iran must not pick a leader without the US consent. However, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is said to have pressured the Assembly of Experts to replace the post with him despite internal and external opposition. Numerous clerics purportedly voted against the vote and even Mojtaba himself failed to win a majority but the IRGC made him ascend to power.
Did Mojtaba Khamenei Work For Iran Before?
Mojtaba, 56, had never held an official government position before his appointment but has spent decades working behind the scenes to support his father’s regime and its conservative policies. Diplomatic cables leaked to him described him as the power behind the robes and his role in fixing past elections and ensuring loyalists were put in position in the government. His new appointment can be to create a message to the west that the aims of Iran will not change despite the assassination of his father on February 28 in an US Israeli attack that also killed at least 49 other senior officials. The attack on Mojtaba injured him and his wife, son and mother were killed which added to his personal and political situation.
IRGC On Mojtaba Khamenei
It is opined that the choice of Mojtaba makes him a malleable personality, a ‘blank canvas’ that can be molded by the IRGC. The US has already made very tough demands such as the total dumping of the Iranian nuclear program and Trump has made known that they can render Mojtaba a target of assassination in case they do not comply. Israel has already indicated that any Iranian leader who promotes the Tehran regime of terrorism would be openly targeted leaving the new supreme leader in a very risky position as the tension between the US and Israel fuels up. It is yet to be seen whether Mojtaba will be a good playalong partner of international powers or a good independent leader but his leadership is already under heavy scrutiny by both domestic and international participants.
