Trump 'not happy' with Iran's new supreme leader / 'Like father, like son'. How Israel qualifies Mojtaba Khamenei
American President Donald Trump told the New York Post on Monday that he was “not happy” with the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader of Iran, to succeed his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the offensive launched by the US and Israel against the Islamic Republic, writes AFP.
“I'm not satisfied,” said Trump, who is in Miami (southeast of the United States) to attend a conference with members of the Republican Party.
The statements of the American president were made in the context of the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as the supreme leader of Iran.
Iran's Assembly of Experts clerical forum appointed Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war, as the country's new supreme leader, state media reported on Sunday.
The decision to elect Mojtaba signals that hardliners remain firmly in charge in Tehran, a week into the conflict with the US and Israel.
“A tyrant prepared to perpetuate the regime's brutality”
Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a post on X Monday that Iran's new supreme leader is “a tyrant who will perpetuate the regime's brutality.”
“Mojtaba Khamenei's hands are already stained with the blood that marked his father's reign. Another tyrant prepared to perpetuate the brutality of the Iranian regime,” continued the Israeli Foreign Ministry's message, titled “Like father, like son.”
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Mojtaba Khamenei is one of the six children of the former ayatollah, who was killed on February 28 at the age of 86 after more than three decades in power.
Because of his discretion, his true influence has given rise to intense speculation over the years among the Iranian population as well as in diplomatic circles.
Wearing the gray beard and black turban of a “seyyed”, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, he was presented by some as the real boss, operating behind the scenes of his father's office at the center of power in Iran.
In 2019, the United States imposed sanctions on Mojtaba Khamenei, stating that although he did not hold an official position, he effectively “represented” the Supreme Leader.
He is considered close to conservatives, particularly because of his ties to the Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Republic's ideological army. This relationship dates back to his enlistment in a combat unit at the end of the long Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988).
The decision could escalate the conflict in the Middle East after Donald Trump said he wanted a say in choosing Iran's supreme leader.
Putin, the first to congratulate Mojtaba Khamenei
Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to congratulate Mojtaba Khamenei after he was elected supreme ayatollah of the Islamic Republic.
“For my part, I would like to confirm our unwavering support to Tehran and solidarity with Iranian friends. Russia has been and will remain a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic,” the Russian president conveyed to him.
