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Mojtaba Khamenei emerges as leading candidate for Supreme Leader, but some clerics resist Revolutionary Guard pressure
Iran has yet to announce a new Supreme Leader, days after the death of Ali Khamenei, while an internal battle is taking place in Tehran over his successor.
According to reports from Iranian opposition media outlets, including the London-based Iran International, the name being mentioned most often is that of Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, the son of the late leader.
Four days ago, he emerged as the leading candidate from the Assembly of Experts, the 88-member body of clerics that elects the Supreme Leader. However, the decision has not yet been ratified. On Thursday, members of the assembly met via video conference to formalize the election, but the meeting ended inconclusively.
According to sources cited by Iran International, at least eight members of the assembly boycotted the emergency session, denouncing "strong pressure" from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) to impose the candidacy of Mojtaba Khamenei.
Sources claim that Revolutionary Guard representatives repeatedly contacted several members of the assembly before the vote to influence the decision.
At the center of the debate is the issue of nepotism. Some clerics argue that appointing the late leader's son would make the Iranian political system akin to a religious monarchy, contradicting the principles on which the Islamic Republic was founded after the 1979 revolution.
Meanwhile, according to sources cited by Reuters, since the start of the war in the region, the Revolutionary Guard has significantly increased its influence on political decision-making in Iran.
Some members of the Assembly of Experts have also expressed doubts about Mojtaba Khamenei's profile, arguing that he does not have the necessary religious and legal weight for the highest position in the Iranian political system.
Following the announcement of Ali Khamenei's death, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had declared that the country would have a new supreme leader within days. However, clashes within the political and religious elite appear to be delaying the process.
In addition to Mojtaba Khamenei, other names mentioned in the discussion include Alireza Arafi, vice president of the Assembly of Experts, former president Hassan Rouhani, and Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini.
Despite the internal conflict, political sources in Tehran emphasize that the selection of the new leader will take place within Iranian structures, rejecting any suggestion of influence from outside. / Adapted from 'Corriere Della Sera'
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