In Iran, where the supreme leader was killed just a few days ago, clerics gathered to elect his replacement. The supreme leader is a unique figure, in charge of Iran both spiritually and militarily.

The new leader is named Mojtaba Khamenei and is the son of the previous supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. He’s 56 and has some religious education but nowhere near the distinction that he’s supposed to have. But what he does have is a long record in the shadows of being close to the circles of power in the Islamic Republic.

“His power comes from the fact that he’s been sitting right there at the right hand of his father for decades,” says Graeme Wood, a staff writer at the Atlantic. “He’s been right there where decisions are made, and I think he was chosen in part because he represents a kind of status quo for this regime, unpopular as it is.”

On a recent episode of What Next, host Mary Harris spoke to Wood about Iran’s new leader and how he differs from his father. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mary Harris: Before we talk a little bit more about who the new supreme leader is, can you explain briefly what Iran’s governing structure looks like and what the role is for someone with the title of supreme leader?

Graeme Wood: Iran’s governing structure is unique in the world. It’s a fascinating system that started off in 1979. And in a nutshell, what Iran tried to do was overthrow a secular monarchy and replace it with an authoritarian religious order. At the top of that order would be the Shiite cleric, who had the most distinction as a religious scholar, and that person would be the head of state, and all power would flow through that. The guy who was originally chosen was the Ayatollah Khamenei.

He spent his entire life doing religious study, sitting around with books and students. And suddenly he’s in charge of a modern military, of modern diplomacy. All the things that a modern state has are in the hands of this old guy, who was, just months before, answering questions about whether a menstruating woman is considered clean under the following circumstances. So he was not dealing with ordinary, day-to-day stuff, let alone whether you should pursue an........

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