Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son has been wounded in the Iran war, it emerged today after he was named as the country’s new Supreme Leader.
Mojtaba, 56, the second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was announced as his successor on Sunday after being appointed by the regime’s 88-person assembly – despite previous opposition from his father.
The ‘vengeful’ hardline cleric is already marked for assassination by Israel after it vowed to ‘eliminate’ whoever succeeded the slain Ayatollah, having killed him and Mojtaba’s wife Zahra Haddad-Adel in strikes on the first day of the conflict.
In one report on his ascension to Supreme Leader on Iranian state TV, it refers to him as being wounded in the war.
The anchor describes him as ‘janbaz’, or wounded by the enemy, in the ‘Ramadan war,’ which is how media in Iran refer to the current conflict.
It does not elaborate on how he was injured, although his wife and father were killed in Israeli strikes on Tehran.
An analyst on air later suggested Khamenei’s wounding could have been during his service in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, although the differing accounts could not be immediately reconciled.
The report also claimed that Mojtaba, who has not been seen in public since the beginning of the war, is fluent in English, and has completed psychology courses.
In other dramatic developments today:
- Ministers are trying to quell concerns about the UK’s low gas storage, which could mean consumers are more exposed to rising prices;
- Sir Keir has hinted that his call with Mr Trump yesterday was icy, insisting he had to act in the UK’s ‘best interests’. It was the first time the leaders have spoken in more than a week, following a series of insults aimed at him by the president;
- Hopes the Bank of England could cut interest rates this month have been effectively wiped out by the prospect of a new inflation spike;
- Fears are growing that the Chancellor will need more tax increases to balance the books, as debt interest cost increase and the economy comes under pressure;
- The Tories are trying to force a vote on the government’s plans for a staged 5p increase in fuel duty from September;
- Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Cyprus amid Britain’s embarrassing inability to protect the RAF Akrotiri base from Iranian reprisals;
- HMS Dragon is still at Portsmouth and is unlikely to arrive in Cyprus to protect Akrotiri for another week;
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been wounded in the Iran war, it emerged today after he was named as the country’s new Supreme Leader
Authorities in Iran announced Mojtaba Khamenei, the late Ayatollah’s second son, as Iran’s new Supreme Leader on Sunday
The report also stated he is knowledgeable about modern technologies, military sciences and security affairs, as well as political principles and the country’s executive requirements.
The new Supreme Leader has strong links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was chosen by Iran’s Assembly of Experts ‘under pressure from the Revolutionary Guards’, according to Iranian media.
Father-to-son succession is viewed negatively in the Shiite Muslim clerical establishment in Iran and Mojtaba is not a high-ranking cleric, has never held office and did not have an official role in the regime until now.
And his father is said to have indicated opposition to his candidacy because it would resemble the hereditary rule enacted by the US-backed Shah monarchy before it was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
But having been selected as Iran’s Supreme Leader, he will look to exact revenge for the killing on his father, according to one Iran expert.
They told BBC Radio 4: ‘He is vengeful. They have killed his father and he won’t let it go.
‘If he can’t get revenge on the US, he will take his revenge on ordinary people.’
Parham Ghobadi, from BBC’s Persian service, claimed he ‘has taken the most dangerous job in the world because the Americans and Israelis have vowed to target the next leader, saying the next leader of Iran is going to be a legitimate target for assassination.’
He added: ‘There have been rumours around him that he is going to be the next leader since the protests in 2009, people were chanting in the streets “Mojtaba we hope you die. You’ll never become the next leader”.
‘So the rumours were there for decades that he’d be the next leader… But overall he’s a shadow.
‘Now the person who has never been officially in charge has suddenly consumed power and become the next leader of Iran at such a critical time.’
The Israeli military has already warned it will ‘pursue every successor’ of Ali Khamenei.
In a post on X in Farsi, the IDF said: ‘After neutralizing the tyrant Khamenei, the terrorist regime of Iran is attempting to rebuild itself and select a new leader.
Large crowds in Tehran wave Iranian flags and shout, ‘Allahu Akbar, Khamenei Rahbar’, meaning: ‘God is great, Khamenei is the leader’
‘We want to tell you that the hand of the State of Israel will continue to pursue every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor.’
Mojtaba Khamenei’s potential impact on the escalating conflict in the Middle East was laid bare in the moments after his succession was confirmed, with videos showing regime supporters chanting his name and urging more strikes.
Large crowds in Tehran waved Iranian flags and shouted, ‘Allahu Akbar, Khamenei Rahbar’, meaning: ‘God is great, Khamenei is the leader.’
More ominous still, the Iranian military vowed to respond to any Israeli attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure by striking oil sites across the region – after Israel targeted reserves the night before.
Iran unleashed a huge attack overnight on Monday on countries in the Gulf, with Bahrain experiencing the highest number of casualties since the beginning of the war.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said 32 people were injured in an Iranian attack on the island of Sitra, after its Bapco refinery was hit by drones overnight.
All of the wounded were Bahraini citizens and there were four ‘serious cases’, including children, the health ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency.
The wounded included a 17-year-old girl who suffered severe head and eye injuries, and a two-month-old baby, according to the ministry.
‘As a result of the blatant Iranian aggression, injuries among citizens were reported, one of them serious, and a number of houses in Sitra were damaged as a result of an attack by drones,’ the ministry said.
The Israeli Air Force obliterated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound in Tehran, killing him and Mojtaba’s wife
Bapco confirmed the strike on its 405,000-barrel-per-day refinery, however said there were no fatalities.
The state-owned energy company declared force majeure, a legal maneuver that releases a company of its contractual obligations because of extraordinary circumstances, the company said in a statement on Monday.
Meanwhile, Brits could face the highest ever pump prices as the Middle East crisis sends energy bills spiralling.
Experts have warned that petrol could hit £2 a litre for the first time, amid a staggering spike in global oil costs.
Keir Starmer is desperately trying to calm fears of another 2022-style cost of living squeeze, hinting at another bailout despite the fragile state of the government’s finances.
On a visit to a community centre in London this morning, Sir Keir insisted the economy is more ‘resilient’ than when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine cause havoc four years ago.
But he conceded that the longer the war goes on ‘the more likely the impact on our economy’.
Sir Keir is also scrambling to limit damage to the Special Relationship from his refusal to back Donald Trump’s decision to launch the war on Iran.
The president has dismissed the soaring oil and gas prices saying they are a ‘small price to pay’ for taming Tehran.
The price of a barrel of oil has rocketed over $100 for the first time in years, with supplies threatened by attacks on infrastructure of major producers in the region.
Iran has also managed to effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil travels.
Just eight days after Ali Khamenei was blown up at his desk in Israeli airstrikes, his son took over as Supreme Leader – breaking convention in Iran which warns against father-son succession.
But much of Iran’s top brass has been decimated in the latest conflict and Khamenei has close ties with the powerful IRGC and the Basij volunteer paramilitary force.
Under Iran’s Islamic guardianship system, the Supreme Leader must be a senior leader with significant political authority.
A ‘river of fire’ engulfed Tehran following heavy Israeli shelling on the city overnight on Sunday
While Khamenei has not held senior political roles, he studied under religious conservatives in Islamic seminaries in the Shiite holy city Qom.
Khamenei has previously been branded ‘unacceptable’ by US President Donald Trump who this week made his feelings clear about the Ayatollah’s son.
Mr Trump said somewhat sarcastically that ‘at some point they’ll be calling me to ask who I’d like’ to replace Khamenei.
The US President has said he would personally select a new leader and Khamenei’s son was ‘unlikely’ and ‘unacceptable’.
Just hours earlier, he doubled down on his threats against Iran’s next Supreme Leader, telling them they will not last long without his support.
Israel has already said it will eliminate whoever takes charge while Trump has demanded the final say.
Speaking on Sunday, the US President told ABC News: ‘He’s going to have to get approval from us.
‘If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it.’
Khamenei served in the Iranian armed forces during the Iran-Iraq war and is believed to wield considerable influence behind the scenes. He has been touted as a possible successor to his father for years.
Born in 1969 in the holy city of Mashhad, he grew up as his father was helping to lead the opposition to the Shah.
His wife and his mother, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, are among the dead from Israeli strikes.
A thick plume of dark black smoke lingered in Tehran on Sunday after heavy Israel airstrikes on an oil depot
After a secondary education at the religious Alavi School, Khamenei spent a few short stints in the military during the Iran-Iraq War, according to Iranian media.
He then continued his religious studies in 1999 in the holy city of Qom, while maintaining a low profile – in contrast to his father.
Indeed, the new Supreme Leader has been pictured very few times and has never given an official interview.
Though rarely photographed and without an official government position on his CV, Khamenei has long been viewed as an influence on his father, the Ayatollah.
US diplomatic cables previously described him as ‘the power behind the robes’ and one of the key players within the regime.
While Khamenei has not held senior political roles, he studied under religious conservatives in Islamic seminaries in the Shiite holy city Qom.
Despite being sanctioned by the US in 2019, Khamenei is said to oversee an investment empire of over £100million, with access to luxury properties in north London and bank accounts in the UK, Switzerland, UAE and Liechtenstein.
Khamenei is said to own 11 properties on The Bishops Avenue – an exclusive street in Hampstead, north London, also known as ‘Billionaires’ Row’.
On Monday, the war raged on, with several explosions heard Monday in the Qatari capital Doha, as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait all reported new attacks.
This comes as Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson downplayed the likelihood of a ceasefire as long as attacks continue, according to Iran’s Student News Network.
‘There is no point to talk about anything but defence and crushing retaliations against enemies,’ Esmaeil Baghaei said.
He reiterated that Tehran has no war to fight with its Muslim neighbours but must target ‘facilities used by aggressors’ for its legitimate defence.
Qatar’s defence ministry said on Monday that its forces had intercepted a missile attack.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said the kingdom intercepted and destroyed two waves of drones heading towards the Shaybah oil field in the southeast of the country.
It comes as the US Department of State ordered all non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia ‘due to safety risks.’
In the UAE, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said in a statement on X that air defences responded to ‘a missile threat’.
The UAE foreign ministry released dramatic footage showing Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being lined up in an anti-missile system’s crosshairs.
A rattle of gunfire can then be heard as the drones are exploded, before the operator reports: ‘Target destroyed, sir.’
Kuwait, which was targeted by seven missiles and five drones on Sunday according to authorities, announced another missile and drone attack on Monday.
The defence ministry said the country’s air defences were working to intercept the attack.
Iraqi air defenses shot down a drone early Monday as it approached Victoria Base, a US-operated military compound inside Baghdad International Airport, a security source told the AP on condition of anonymity. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.
Iran launched a fresh wave of attacks on Israel overnight, with one person killed by sharpnel and at least two seriously injured in the Yehud area, according to Israeli emergency services.