Ali Khamenei's son named as Iran's new Supreme Leader, local media reports

Reports in Iran suggest Mojtaba Khamenei will succeed his father as Supreme Leader following weekend airstrikes

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly been appointed Iran's new Supreme Leader.

Media reports in Iran suggest Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on Saturday, has been appointed Iran's new Supreme Leader, replacing his father.

A mid-ranking cleric who studied under religious conservatives in the seminaries of Qom, Mr Mojtaba is a hardliner with close ties to the Revolutionary Guards, the force mandated to safeguard the Islamic Republic, which his father led since 1989.

The 56-year-old has never held a formal position in the Islamic Republic's government and instead exercised influence behind the scenes as a gatekeeper to his father, according to Iran watchers.

His role has long drawn controversy in Iran, with critics rejecting any hint of dynastic politics in a country that overthrew a US-backed monarch in 1979.

Mr Khamenei himself had previously indicated opposition to dynastic succession.

Protesters have frequently directed anger at Mr Mojtaba since 2009, particularly during the months of unrest that swept Iran in 2022 following the death of a young woman in police custody after authorities arrested her for allegedly breaching the Islamic Republic's strict dress codes.

He bears a strong resemblance to his father and wears the black turban of a Sayyed, indicating his family traces its lineage to the Prophet Mohammad.