Khamenei’s son survives strikes, seen as possible successor

The son of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a potential successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, survived the US – Israeli attacks on Iran, Reuters reported, citing its sources.

According to the agency, Mojtaba Khamenei was not in Tehran at the time of the attack in which his father was killed. Iranian state media announced the death of Ali Khamenei on Sunday. One of Reuters’ sources said Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and survived the strikes.

The Iranian leadership considers him a potential new supreme leader. The second-eldest son of the late Khamenei is 56. A mid-ranking cleric with close ties to the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the country’s power structure.

Ali Khamenei had led the Islamic Republic since 1989. He was killed in an Israeli air strike on the morning of 28 February, at the start of the joint US – Israeli military operation against Iran.

(reuters, lud)