Japanese magazine “Sentaku,” in an article on Iran titled “The Secret Darkness Surrounding the Next President,”says Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is maneuvering to fill the power gap left by the sudden death of President Ebrahim Raisi.
According to Sentaku, Raisi’s death in a helicopter accident on May 19 “marks the beginning of a new phase in Iran’s political system that will likely see the power struggle for leadership advance in a direction that embodies the wishes of Mojtaba.”
The article says that while no clear frontrunner has emerged to lead Iran, Mojtaba has been repeatedly mentioned as a possible successor to his father, although he has never held public office. He has, however, been working behind the scenes and was a strong supporter of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. According to one source, it was Mojtaba who manipulated the election results when Ahmadinejad was elected president.
A foreign ministry official from a Gulf country quoted in the article stated: “With the death of President Raisi, the next presidential candidate will be someone loyal to Mojtaba Khamenei. Unless something unforeseen happens, such as the sudden death of Ayatollah Khamenei, the administration will continue to operate in the same manner as the Raisi regime.”
According to Iranian officials, Mojtaba used his father’s position to manage the Khamenei family fortune by building a diverse network in business, military, financial, and security circles, and is considered a strong candidate to succeed his father.
However, Sentaku says the current Iranian government was born out of a rejection of the monarchy, so the succession of the supreme leader by family members that are unaccountable to the people may not be possible.
Source » arabnews