First dissensions among Iran's leadership: Khamenei's desire to name his son ayatollah is holding them back

Mojtaba Khamenei faces an unexpected roadblock to becoming supreme leader of war-torn Iran.

The Revolutionary Guards, the military-derived organization that has become the repressive iron fist of the regime, insists on hastening the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as ayatollah. The appointment process is carried out by the Assembly of Experts, a restricted religious entity. It is attended by high-ranking clerics.

There was “a first appointment” of Mojtaba Khamenei, but that turned out to be only a preliminary meeting. Those who said that the appointment of the former ayatollah's son was reached were those from the Revolutionary Guard. The media, including HotNews, picked up the information, but it was not proven correct.

“We don't want to create a dynasty”

A last-minute problem has arisen in the Assembly of Experts, claims Iran International, an Iranian publication in exile.

“We don't want to create a dynasty,” said several Iranian clerics at the Assembly of Experts, which met in the city of Qom, one of the epicenters of Iran's faith.

What did the opponents do?

Some of those clerics told Iran International that a group of opponents contacted the Assembly speaker and members of the ruling council on Wednesday, warning that declaring Mojtaba Khamenei as leader could raise public concerns about making the leadership hereditary and making the Islamic Republic like a monarchy.

Ali Khamenei's wish: not to be succeeded by his son

In addition, they demand compliance with a lifetime wish of Ali Khamenei. He was explicit in not promoting his son as a leader.

“Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not happy with the idea of ​​his son succeeding his son and never allowed this issue to be raised during his lifetime,” a member of the President's Assembly and members of the body's leadership said in telephone conversations, according to sources cited by the Iranian opposition publication.

The Revolutionary Guard is pressing

In this context, the Revolutionary Guard is trying to speed up the official announcement regarding the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei, amid the dissensions.

Revolutionary Guard commanders in various cities pressured members of the Assembly through face-to-face meetings and phone calls to vote for Mojtaba Khamenei.

The Guard says that given the country's “special conditions” and the current security situation, the new leader must be announced as soon as possible and that any delay could exacerbate instability and deepen the decision-making vacuum at the top of the system.

Opponents, however, are trying to prevent the appointment. A member of the Assembly of Experts argued that Mojtaba Khamenei “does not have an established and public clerical and jurisprudential position” and therefore his election as supreme leader of the state would lack religious legitimacy, the sources added.

What the official press writes

Iranian state media reported that a “ruling” Revolutionary Guards council had convened a fourth session to review the latest developments in the war, “to strengthen the armed forces and address the issue of the supply of essential goods.”

The members also discussed a new convening of the Assembly of Experts with a view to selecting the next supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.