A big controversy has come to light regarding the new Supreme Leader of Iran. According to the report, very few people wanted Mojtaba Khamenei to become the next Supreme Leader of Iran. Even US President Donald Trump and his own father Ali Khamenei were not in favor of this decision.
According to the report, Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on February 28. A report in the New York Post has claimed that Ali Khamenei had clearly written in his will that his son Mojtaba Khamenei should not be made his successor. However, Iran’s powerful military organization Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) played an important role in bringing Mojtaba to this post by exerting pressure.
Father had doubts about son’s ability
According to experts, Ali Khamenei had serious doubts about his son’s qualifications. Khosrow Isfahani, research director of the opposition organization National Union for Democracy, said that Ali Khamenei had clearly written in his will that Mojtaba should not be made his successor. According to Isfahani, Ali Khamenei believed that Mojtaba did not have the necessary experience and political stature to run the country. He said, “Mojtaba is a young religious leader who has not achieved much in politics.” Isfahani also said that for so many years, Mojtaba was known only because of her father’s name.
Questions were also raised on the process of choosing a successor.
In Iran, the responsibility of choosing the Supreme Leader usually rests with an organization called the Assembly of Experts. This is a council of religious leaders, which elects the supreme leader of the country. But according to Isfahani, Mojtaba’s appointment was not done according to the normal procedure. He says that when the Assembly of Experts was considering this issue, the IRGC put pressure on it and finally got the decision taken in favor of Mojtaba. Isfahani, citing his sources inside Iran, said that Mojtaba did not even get the majority of votes in the council. It is being told that due to pressure from IRGC, many religious leaders boycotted the meeting in which the name of the new Supreme Leader was announced.
Isfahani said that the Assembly of Experts had not actually voted in favor of Mojtaba. He said that there was a lot of opposition against him, but due to pressure from the IRGC, he was declared his successor. According to Isfahani, this powerful military organization of Iran considers Mojtaba as a leader who can be easily controlled. “They see him as a puppet whom they can manipulate as per their wish,” he said.
Donald Trump’s statement on Mojtaba Khamenei
US President Donald Trump has also expressed strong displeasure over the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader of Iran. Trump said that Mojtaba Khamenei will not be able to live in peace. He also said that making Ali Khamenei’s second son the new leader of Iran cannot be accepted. Before Mojtaba’s appointment, Trump had said that America should have a role in selecting the next leader of Iran, just as America had earlier intervened in the case of Venezuela. In an interview with Axios, Trump said that it is not acceptable for 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei to become the head of Iran after his father.
Trump said that he wants such a leader to come to Iran who can bring peace and balance to the country. He also said that if a leader is made who will carry forward the policies of Ali Khamenei, then America may have to face war again within five years. Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Trump said, “They have to get our approval. If they don’t get our approval, they won’t be able to last long.”
Became Supreme Leader without any government post
56 year old Mojtaba Khamenei had never held any official government post before. His influence grew mainly from working in his father’s close circle. During this period, strict conservative policies became stronger in Iran.
In American diplomatic documents leaked in the 2000s, he was described as the “Power Behind the Robes” i.e. the power behind the scenes. At the same time, he was also accused of playing a role in influencing Iran’s presidential elections so that pro-regime candidates could win.
Israeli warning
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has already warned that if any Iranian leader continues terrorism-related operations, he will be considered a clear target for elimination.
