SECURITY FORCE LINKS
The US Treasury Division imposed sanctions on Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019 throughout President Donald Trump’s first time period, saying he represented the supreme chief “regardless of by no means being elected or appointed to a authorities place except for work within the workplace of his father”.
Ali Khamenei had “delegated part of his management obligations” to his son, “who labored intently” with Iranian safety forces “to advance his father’s destabilising regional ambitions and oppressive home goals”, the Treasury mentioned.
US diplomatic cables revealed by WikiLeaks within the late 2000s started referring to the youthful Khamenei as “the ability behind the robes”.
One recounted an allegation that Khamenei really tapped his personal father’s telephone, served as his “principal gatekeeper” and had been forming his personal energy base inside the nation.
He was accused of interfering within the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections, which resulted within the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a populist hardliner, the BBC reported.
Reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi accused Mojtaba Khamenei of interfering within the 2005 vote by way of parts of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia, which distributed cash to spiritual teams with a view to assist Ahmadinejad win.
4 years later, Mojtaba confronted the identical accusation once more.
The re-election of Ahmadinejad triggered mass protests throughout the nation generally known as the Inexperienced Motion.
Opponents have notably accused Mojtaba Khamenei of taking part in a job within the violent crackdown that adopted the protests.
WEALTH
In line with an investigation by the Bloomberg information organisation, which cited nameless sources and Western intelligence company studies, Mojtaba Khamenei has amassed wealth estimated at greater than US$100 million.
Cash from oil gross sales had been channelled into investments in luxurious British actual property, lodges in Europe and property in Dubai by way of shell corporations in tax havens, based on the investigation.
On the spiritual entrance, Mojtaba Khamenei studied theology within the holy metropolis of Qom, south of Tehran, the place he additionally taught.
He attained the rank of Hujjat al-Islam, a title given to mid-ranking clerics, beneath that of Ayatollah held by his father and by revolutionary chief Ruhollah Khomeini.
His spouse, Zahra Haddad-Adel, daughter of a former speaker of parliament, additionally died within the US-Israeli strikes that killed the supreme chief, based on Iranian authorities.
Israel has issued a stark warning to the brand new supreme chief and whoever chosen him, saying “the hand of the State of Israel will proceed to comply with any successor and anybody who seeks to nominate a successor”.
The Meeting of Specialists has 88 members who’re elected each eight years.
It has solely overseen one management transition course of so far, when Khamenei was chosen in 1989 following the loss of life of Khomeini.
