Context
Iran’s Assembly of Experts appointed Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as the third Supreme Leader after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.–Israeli strikes.
Important Points
• The Supreme Leader is Iran’s most powerful authority — head of state and commander-in-chief of armed forces, above the elected President.
• Mojtaba Khamenei (57), son of Ali Khamenei, becomes the third Supreme Leader after Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei.
• Chosen by the 88-member clerical Assembly of Experts, constitutionally empowered to appoint or remove the Supreme Leader.
• Known for close ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and clerical establishment; linked with Iran’s “Axis of Resistance.”
• Russia and China backed the selection; the U.S. signalled conditional acceptance amid tensions.
