Frontrunners emerge as Iranian officials discuss possible successors to Khamenei: report

Multiple frontrunners are emerging to win Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arsenic the 86-year-old has gone into hiding during Israel and the United States’ associated subject run against the Islamic Republic, a study said. 

A three-man committee appointed by Khamenei to place his successor has ramped up its enactment successful caller days pursuing repeated waves of airstrikes targeting Iran’s atomic program, Reuters reported, citing 5 sources with cognition of the discussions. 

Two names rising to the apical of the database are Mojtaba Khamenei – the ayatollah’s 56-year-old lad who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department successful 2019 – and Hassan Khomeini, the 53-year-old grandson of Ruhollah Khomeini, the designer of the Islamic Revolution successful Iran, according to the sources. 

"Mojtaba Khamenei, the 2nd lad of the Supreme Leader, is designated... for representing the Supreme Leader successful an authoritative capableness contempt ne'er being elected oregon appointed to a authorities presumption speech from enactment successful the bureau of his father," the Treasury Department said successful 2019 portion sanctioning him.

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Hassan Khomeini, left, and Mojtaba Khamenei, right, person reportedly emerged arsenic frontrunners to regenerate Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images | Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"The Supreme Leader has delegated a portion of his enactment responsibilities to Mojtaba Khamenei, who worked intimately with the commandant of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and besides the Basij Resistance Force (Basij) to beforehand his father’s destabilizing determination ambitions and oppressive home objectives," the section added astatine the time. 

Mojtaba Khamenei presently teaches theology astatine a spiritual seminary successful Qom and is intimately aligned with his father’s hardline views, Reuters reported, citing sources. 

Khomeini, who is much of a reformist and is allied with a faction that is successful favour of easing societal and governmental restrictions successful Iran, garners respect due to the fact that of his lineage, according to Reuters. 

In 2024, Khomeini warned of a "crisis of rising fashionable dissatisfaction" among Iranians owed to poverty, Reuters besides reported.

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Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the federation connected Iranian authorities tv broadcast successful Tehran, Iran, connected June 18, 2025. (Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The sources reportedly said that nary determination has been made yet, much candidates could look and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – who is regularly kept up to day connected the talks – would person the last say.

Khamenei is sheltering close present successful a bunker and has suspended each physics communications with his commanders, according to the New York Times. 

This outer representation by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran's underground atomic enrichment tract astatine Fordow pursuing U.S. airstrikes targeting the installation connected Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

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He is relaying orders lone done a trusted adjutant to support his determination amid assassination concerns. 

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace and Beth Bailey contributed to this report.