The Son of the Ayatollah: Mojtaba Khamenei and the Regime That Refuses to Change

The Islamic Republic of Iran has formally appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader. The son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei now sits at the apex of one of the most ideologically rigid regimes in the world.

For anyone hoping that the death of Ali Khamenei would usher in a more pragmatic Iran, the message from Tehran could not be clearer.

In fact, the opposite may be true.

The rise of Mojtaba Khamenei signals that the Islamic Republic intends to double down on the same ideological project that has destabilized the Middle East for more than four decades.

A Revolutionary State Turns Dynastic

Iran’s 1979 revolution claimed to overthrow monarchy and hereditary rule. Yet the elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei represents something historically ironic: the Islamic Republic has effectively turned into a dynastic system.

Power has passed from father to son.

This transition exposes the reality of the Iranian political structure. Despite the revolutionary........

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