US EditionExperts warn Iran’s new supreme leader may pursue a more hardline approach
Mojtaba Khamenei, seen as a hardliner, is expected to strengthen Iran's security institutions and potentially escalate external tensions, experts say.
- Mojtaba Khamenei has built influence mainly through Iran's security institutions rather than traditional clerical paths and has consolidated power behind the scenes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
- Experts warn that Mojtaba’s rise may strengthen Iran’s security bodies like the IRGC and lead to a harder line with possible external escalations for regime survival.
- He has been described as a 'mini supreme leader' who micromanages authority, promotes ideological loyalists, and is deeply antisemitic, anti-American, and anti-Western.
- Analysts doubt that his rise will moderate Iran’s behavior, predicting continued repression, terror plots, and reliance on the IRGC to maintain power consistent with his father’s policies.
5 Articles
5 Articles
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Key topics:Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise cements Iran’s hardline regime and IRGC powerTrump misreads Iran’s strategy, risking prolonged conflict and global impactIran preps for long asymmetric war with drones, proxies, and elite forcesSign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bas…
The Clock Is Ticking for Iran’s New Supreme Leader
If I were advising the newly appointed Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, I’d suggest that he avoid texting in the days ahead. Or really, any kind of personal tech—tablets, laptops, and so on. Also using the fridge—keep an eye out for “smart” features. Riding in a car manufactured in the past 15 years or so is risky, especially in the vicinity of traffic cameras. Or going outside at all. Or being inside, if in the presence of anything tha…
Iran’s new supreme leader is ‘his father on steroids,’ experts warn of hardline rule
Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly selected as Iran's new supreme leader, with experts describing him as 'his father on steroids.' The 56-year-old will likely pursue an even harder line.
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- 80% of the sources lean Right
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