Iran’s clerical leadership is reportedly moving toward appointing Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s next supreme leader. But the possible succession has drawn sharp responses from the United States and Israel, exposing competing visions for Iran’s future leadership.
Senior clerics responsible for selecting the new leader met on March 3 as part of deliberations led by the powerful Assembly of Experts. The meeting reportedly took place in Qom, even after an Israeli strike destroyed a building associated with the body. The clerics continued discussions over who should replace Khamenei, who was killed in the ongoing US-Israel military campaign.
Among the candidates, Mojtaba Khamenei has emerged as the frontrunner backed by elements within Iran’s current establishment. Analysts say his possible elevation would effectively keep power within the existing ruling structure.
Israel has responded with a direct warning regarding any successor. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared that whoever replaces Khamenei and continues hostile policies toward Israel and its allies would become a military target.
“Any leader appointed by the Iranian regime… will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Katz said, adding that it does not matter “what his name is or where he hides.”
The statement came as Israel intensified strikes linked to Iran’s leadership structure during the ongoing conflict.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump signaled a different approach to Iran’s leadership transition. Trump rejected the idea of Mojtaba Khamenei becoming supreme leader, describing him as unacceptable and arguing that a future leader should be someone capable of bringing stability to the country.
Trump also dismissed the possibility of Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi becoming the next leader, even though the opposition figure has been positioning himself internationally as a potential alternative. Trump described Pahlavi as a “nice guy” but said a more suitable leader would likely emerge from within Iran and already enjoy public support.
At the same time, the US president revealed that many of the Iranian figures his administration had earlier considered as possible alternatives had been killed during the ongoing war. Trump said most of the first group of potential leaders were already dead, and a second group might also have suffered the same fate in the fighting.
As a result, he suggested the search for future leadership in Iran may now have moved to what he called a “third wave” of possible candidates.
The competing positions highlight the uncertainty surrounding Iran’s political future. While Tehran’s clerical establishment appears inclined to maintain continuity by elevating Mojtaba Khamenei, Washington and Tel Aviv have made clear that any successor continuing the current regime’s policies could face intense political and military pressure.
With the region already engulfed in conflict, the decision on Iran’s next supreme leader could significantly shape the next phase of the Middle East crisis.
No comments: