Ali Khamenei's son was picked as the new Supreme Leader of Iran on Tuesday evening.

08:03, Wed, Mar 4, 2026 Updated: 08:17, Wed, Mar 4, 2026

Mojtaba Khamenei

Mojtaba Khamenei is the new Supreme Leader of Iran (Image: Getty)

The new leader of Iran already has a target on his back, Israel has suggested. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to assassinate any successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after he was killed in joint strikes with the US on Saturday. Since then, his son Mojtaba Khamenei has emerged as Iran's next leader, Iran International reported.

Katz wrote on X: "Any leader selected by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan for Israel's destruction, threatening the United States, the free world and countries in the region, and suppressing the Iranian people - will be a certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides.

Iran-Mojtaba-Khamenei-Son-of-Supreme-Leader

Mojtaba has strong ties to the IRGC. (Image: Getty)

"It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides. The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation "Lion's Roar".

"We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to crush the regime's capabilities and create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow it and replace it."

Mojtaba, 56, has strong ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which reportedly pressured the Assembly of Experts to select him, the Iranian opposition outlet reported. 

Despite this connection to the military branch, he is not a high-ranking cleric and has never held an official role in the regime. 

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