Mojtaba Khamenei

Mojtaba Khamenei is the second son of Ali Khamenei and has been a shadowy but powerful figure in the Islamic Republic for decades. He long headed an intelligence bureau within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, functioning as a key conduit between his father's office and the IRGC's security apparatus. His wife is Zahra Haddad-Adel, daughter of Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, former Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Following Ali Khamenei's death on 28 February 2026, the Assembly of Experts elected Mojtaba as the third Supreme Leader on 8 March 2026 — the second succession in the republic's history.