Khamenei’s son Mojtaba alive & favoured to succeed him, Iranian sources

Mojtaba Khamenei, the influential son of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is alive and widely favoured to emerge as his father’s successor.

As new explosions rocked Tehran, plans for a funeral for the elder Khamenei, 86, martyred by Israeli forces on Saturday in the first airstrike assassination of a nation’s top ruler, were thrown into uncertainty. State media reported that the farewell ceremony, expected to be held at a large mosque in Tehran, had been postponed.

The United States and Israel continued round-the-clock strikes on Iran, with the top U.S. commander stating that the campaign was “ahead of the game plan.” The attacks triggered a global market downturn, including a record-breaking crash in Seoul, despite assurances from U.S. President Donald Trump that the world’s key shipping lanes and Middle Eastern oil and gas supplies would be quickly reopened.

The two Iranian sources said Mojtaba, 56, was not in Tehran during the strike that destroyed his father’s compound and also martyred Khamenei’s wife, another son, and senior military officials.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts, responsible for selecting the new leader, said it would announce its decision soon. “The Supreme Leader will be identified in the closest opportunity, we are close to a conclusion. However the situation in the country is a war situation,” Assembly member Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami told state TV. “The candidates had already been identified,” he added without naming them.

Israel has vowed to target whoever is appointed. “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” said Defence Minister Israel Katz. “It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides.”

Israeli forces struck targets across Iran for a fifth day. An Israeli F-35 fighter jet reportedly shot down an Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran, marking the first time the new-generation F-35 has downed a manned aircraft in combat.

While other potential candidates, including Hassan Khomeini, the reformist grandson of the Islamic Republic’s founder, exist, Mojtaba Khamenei remains the clear favourite. He built significant influence as a senior figure in Iran’s security forces and the extensive business networks controlled by his family, signaling that hardliners are likely to maintain power.

Amid the turmoil, some Iranians have openly celebrated the supreme leader’s martyred, though widespread protests are constrained by ongoing airstrikes and the omnipresence of Revolutionary Guards and basiji militias. One resident, Farah, 45, told Reuters, “We have nowhere to go to protect ourselves from strikes, how can we protest? … I hate this regime, but first I have to think about the safety of my two children.”

The U.S. military campaign, led by Admiral Brad Cooper of Central Command, involves 50,000 troops, 200 jets, and two aircraft carriers, operating “24/7 strikes into Iran from seabed to space and cyberspace,” with additional assets en route. Cooper said, “My overall operational assessment is that we are ahead of our game plan. In simple terms, we’re focused on shooting things that can shoot us.”

The conflict has also extended to Lebanon, where Israel has targeted Beirut and vowed to dismantle Iran-backed Hezbollah after missile strikes into Israel. Ground forces in southern Lebanon have ordered residents to evacuate areas south of the Litani River.

In Iran, the Revolutionary Guards maintain “full control” over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping corridor for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, warning vessels not to transit. President Trump said the U.S. Navy could escort tankers through the Strait if necessary, though analysts remain uncertain whether such measures could prevent further price spikes or safeguard vessels from potential attacks.

Rising energy prices pose political risks for Trump as his Republican Party prepares for the upcoming congressional midterm elections in November.