Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was recently killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, was reportedly opposed to the idea of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeding him as Iran's supreme leader, according to a new report.
The New York Post reported that Ali Khamenei's opposition to his son becoming the Islamic Republic's next leader was so strong that he addressed the subject in his will.
Khosro Isfahani, identified by the Post as a research director for the opposition group National Union for Democracy, claimed the late Iranian leader did not want Mojtaba to take over.
"In Khamenei's will, he explicitly asked Mojtaba not to be named as successor," Isfahani told the outlet.
He further alleged that Ali Khamenei believed his son lacked the qualifications to successfully run the country.
"Mojtaba is an impotent young cleric who has achieved nothing in terms of political life," Isfahani said, explaining that the late Khamenei felt his son lacked the experience or capability to run Iran.
"All these years, he has been nothing without his father's name," he added.
According to the Post, Mojtaba Khamenei was not elevated through a smooth or widely accepted succession process.
Instead, the report alleged that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pressured Iran's Assembly of Experts during its deliberations and forced the outcome in Mojtaba Khamenei's favor despite resistance from clerics.
Similar allegations of IRGC pressure and internal dissent have appeared in other recent reports.
"The Assembly of Experts that was supposed to pick the replacement of Khamenei didn't vote for Mojtaba," Isfahani said. "There was a lot of pushback against him, but under pressure from the IRGC, he was named as the successor."
President Donald Trump was also reportedly opposed to Mojtaba Khamenei's selection.
"I'm not happy with him," Trump told the Post from Florida.
He previously told Axios that "they are wasting their time," adding that "Khamenei's son is a lightweight."
In remarks to ABC, Trump said that Iran's new leader is "not going to last long" without his administration's approval.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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