The choice of Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father as Iran’s supreme leader signals that hardliners remain in charge in Tehran, analysts said.
The 56-year-old has close ties to the security establishment and, despite having no previous government or senior clerical role, has long been a key power broker, The Washington Post reported.
US and Israeli attacks have devastated Iran’s leadership and military, but have yet to weaken the regime’s grip, with one Shiite religious leader saying the appointment keeps the country on “the luminous path of the late Imam.”
Tehran’s defiance may attract further wrath from the attacking allies: US President Donald Trump said before the appointment that whoever the next leader is, if he “doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long.”