September 23, 2022
The Rasa news agency has started addressing the son of the Supreme Leader as “Ayatollah” Mojtaba Khamenehi (photo), prompting widespread speculation on social media that some in the regime are pushing for the 53-year-old to be named as the successor to his father. Such rumors have cropped up before, prompting former Prime Minister Mir-Hossain Musavi to warn against hereditary leadership, which would make the Islamic Republic just like imperial Iran. The successor to Khamenehi will be selected after his death by the 86-cleric Assembly of Experts.
