NYT: Iran Postponed The Appointment Of Ayatollah Khamenei's Successor Because Of The Possibility Of His Elimination

The U.S. and Israel have warned Tehran.

Iran has postponed the appointment of a successor to slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for security reasons after U.S. and Israeli claims that the new head of state could also be a target for strikes, two Iranian officials told The New York Times.

In particular, Tehran fears that U.S. and Israeli forces may try to eliminate Khamenei's 56-year-old son Mojtaba, who has emerged as the leading candidate to become the country's supreme leader.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier said he would not accept a new Iranian head of state who would continue the policies of the slain ayatollah. "Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me. We need someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran," the White House chief said, emphasizing that he must personally participate in the appointment of the country's leader. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned that Tel Aviv would consider any new Iranian leader who continues the course of his predecessors a legitimate target for a strike.

On February 28, the US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran. The Israeli strike killed the 86-year-old supreme leader of the Islamic republic, Ali Khamenei, as well as members of his family and at least 40 senior military and political officials. Afterward, sources from Deutsche Welle and the opposition Iranian TV channel Iran International claimed that Khamenei's son Mojtaba had been appointed as the new supreme leader. However, Tehran did not officially confirm this.

Mojtaba is the second son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He studied theology under his father and other influential teachers before becoming a cleric. As the NYT notes, Mojtaba is a "mysterious but influential figure" who has close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Khamenei's son is well versed in the management and coordination of the country's security and military apparatuses, said Tehran-based analyst Mehdi Rahmati.

At the moment, Iran is temporarily run by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and a member of the Constitution Guardian Council.

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