Iran's mullahs named Mojtaba Khamenei the Islamic Republic's next ruler in "an act of defiance," former U.S. national security official Fred Fleitz told Newsmax on Monday.
Fleitz, a former CIA analyst and chief of staff at the National Security Council, said the decision by Iran's clerical leadership to elevate the son of longtime Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signals that hardliners tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intend to maintain their grip on power despite growing pressure from the United States and Israel.
"I think it is an act of defiance by the Iranian mullahs and by the IRGC that they're not going to back down," Fleitz said during Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
"It was really an extraordinary move because his father was against hereditary rule. He thought that's what we overthrew with the Shah, 1979, that this isn't the way the country should be governed.
"But I think we're seeing here basically a message from the IRGC that they're not going to back down, they're going to continue their radicalism."
Mojtaba Khamenei's rise marks a controversial moment in Iran's political system. His father had previously criticized hereditary rule, arguing it resembled the monarchy that was overthrown during Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
But Newsmax foreign policy analyst Walid Phares, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, said the selection was driven by Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard.
"Those who have real power in Iran have always been the IRGC," Phares said. "They supported Ali Khamenei, and now their only insurance policy is to nominate Mojtaba Khamenei."
Phares said Mojtaba Khamenei's close involvement with his father over decades made him a familiar figure inside the regime's inner circle and someone the IRGC views as reliable during a time of escalating confrontation with the United States.
"He knows the secrets. He knows who the allies are," Phares said.
The move comes as tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States remain high. Israel has intensified strikes against Iranian assets as part of its campaign to weaken the regime's military capabilities and regional influence.
Over the weekend, Israeli forces reportedly struck around 30 Iranian fuel depots, part of a broader strategy to degrade Tehran's warfighting ability.
Some reports suggested the strikes went further than U.S. officials expected, though analysts say the two allies remain strategically aligned.
Phares dismissed suggestions of a serious rift between Washington and Jerusalem.
"Even in World War II there were different approaches between allies," he said. "But at the end of the day, Israel and the United States are aligned on the major strategy — weakening the regime."
Trump has already warned the new Iranian leader that Washington will not tolerate continued aggression.
According to Fleitz, Tehran's leadership may believe elevating Mojtaba Khamenei could rally public support by portraying the elder Khamenei as a martyr.
But Fleitz said that strategy is unlikely to succeed.
"About 80% of the Iranian people hated his father," he said. "The regime thinks this will unite the country, but I don't think that's going to happen."
Analysts say the leadership transition could intensify pressure on the regime as it faces military setbacks abroad and growing dissatisfaction at home.
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Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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