The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader of Iran, following the assassination of his father, represents a symbolic and political victory for the conservative faction within the Islamic Republic. However, the decision comes at a time when the regime in Tehran is facing unprecedented challenges, according to an analysis by The Guardian.
At the same time, the choice raises sensitive questions about the direction of the Iranian political system. The succession from father to son seems to contradict the principles of the Islamic revolution of 1979, which overthrew the monarchy and did not foresee the Supreme Leader’s position being transmitted dynastically.
Support from the Revolutionary Guards
Mojtaba Khamenei has long been considered the preferred candidate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), one of Iran’s most influential military and political institutions.
Shortly after the official announcement, state media broadcast archive images of Khamenei as a 17-year-old on the front line of the Iran-Iraq war, in an attempt to consolidate his revolutionary legitimacy.
However, his appointment represents a new defeat for the reformists, who argued that the election should be postponed until the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body of 88 members responsible for appointing the Supreme Leader, could officially convene.
Former President Hassan Rouhani warned that the rapid organization of the vote could distract attention from the need for national unity at a time when the country is in full conflict.
Such an announcement “should come at an appropriate time, which does not distract the public’s attention from the sacred defense,” he emphasized.
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