What to know about Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader

"Of all the candidates that were put out there, he was the one that was closest to the IRGC. He was also very well-connected in his father's own office. The regime wants to preserve as much of the status quo as possible."

"He's kind of an unknown quantity. He's sort of a guy who you see in pictures, in meetings, that sort of thing, kind of in the background. But he has long been accused of amassing power and pulling strings from within his father's inner circle."

"His nearly four-decade rule was marked by staunch opposition to both countries as well as any efforts to reform or modernize Iran. Questions loom about Iran's future as it responds with continued strikes on Israel and Gulf states."

Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old mid-ranking cleric, has been appointed as Iran's new supreme leader following his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack. The Assembly of Experts, Iran's clerical body responsible for selecting the supreme leader, voted to appoint him. His appointment indicates the regime's intention to preserve the status quo and maintain hard-line policies. Khamenei has close ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and has wielded significant behind-the-scenes power within his father's inner circle, though he has never held a formal government position. He remains largely unknown to the public, rarely appearing or speaking publicly, making his leadership trajectory uncertain despite his demonstrated influence.

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