Mojtaba Khamenei named supreme leader

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has been chosen as the country's new supreme leader.

He was selected by the Assembly of Experts, the body of senior clerics responsible for appointing the supreme leader, on 8 March, eight days after his father was killed in an Israeli airstrike at the start of the war with Israel and the United States.

Only the third supreme leader

Mojtaba Khamenei is only the third person to hold the post since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The first was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the revolution, and the second was Ali Khamenei, who led the country from 1989 until his death.

Western analysts have long seen Mojtaba as a possible successor to his father, although the idea of the post passing from father to son has been controversial in a country whose revolution overthrew a monarchy.

Who is he?

Mojtaba Khamenei was born in 1969 in Mashhad, the second son of Ali Khamenei. He served with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, and later trained as a cleric in the holy city of Qom, where he taught theology for many years.

He has rarely spoken in public, but has long been regarded as an influential figure behind the scenes, with close ties to the Revolutionary Guards and the security services. Analysts describe him as more hardline than his father.

A country at war

The appointment comes as Iran remains at war. Israeli and American strikes have continued, and Iran has fired missiles at Israel and at American bases in the region. It has also restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices sharply higher.

Fighting has also broken out between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Reaction

Opponents of the government say the choice shows that the regime intends to continue on the same path, while supporters see it as a sign of continuity at a time of war.

Impact on the world economy

The war has already disrupted shipping and energy supplies. In Britain, mortgage lenders have begun raising rates and energy suppliers have withdrawn fixed-price deals because of the rise in oil prices.

Diplomats are working to try to end the fighting, but there is little sign of a ceasefire.

The new supreme leader has not yet appeared in public since his selection.