Will Mojtaba Enjoy Same Powers As Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? Explained

Last Updated:March 04, 2026, 15:00 IST

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had the "final say" on all major state matters, including foreign policy, the nuclear program, and the judiciary. Iran's Supreme Leader's powers explained

While Ayatollah Ali Khamenei held absolute authority as Iran’s Supreme Leader, experts and news reports suggest his rule was not a simple “one-man show" but rather a complex balancing act of institutional and military power.

Khamenei was assassinated on February 28 in joint U.S.-Israeli air strikes on Tehran. Following his death, several key aspects of his governance have come into focus.

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF ALL ARMED FORCES

In the Iranian military structure, the Supreme Leader serves as the Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces. This means he historically headed the IRGC, Artesh, and Basij simultaneously.

Artesh (Regular Army): The traditional military responsible for national defense, protecting Iran’s land, airspace, and waters. It includes Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy, and Air Defense. It is generally considered more professional and less involved in internal politics than the IRGC.

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IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps): An ideological force tasked with safeguarding the Islamic system and the regime itself. It is often more powerful than the Artesh, controlling Iran’s ballistic missile program and its own air, land, and sea wings. It also manages the Quds Force, which handles operations outside of Iran.

Basij (The Volunteer Militia): A paramilitary volunteer network active inside the country. It is technically a branch of the IRGC. In peacetime, it serves as “morality police" and maintains social control; in times of unrest, it is the primary tool used to crush domestic protests. It is famously known for its “thug on motorbikes" tactics during crowd suppression.

COLLECTIVE GOVERNANCE?

Iran’s system includes various bodies that provided a facade of collective governance while remaining under his influence:

The Assembly of Experts: Officially responsible for electing and overseeing the Supreme Leader.

Advisory Councils: Close aides and a “council" of senior officials were often involved in daily administration, leading some experts to suggest a collective body may have already been running the country during his later years of ill health.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts has reportedly elected Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader. Reports indicate the decision came under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) amid ongoing US-Israel strikes.

KHAMENEI’S WORD WAS FINAL

Khamenei held the “final say" on all major state matters, including foreign policy, the nuclear program, and the judiciary. He frequently sidelined dissidents and directly controlled the country’s most powerful institutions.

His power was deeply intertwined with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Rather than ruling alone, he acted as a “brutal balancer" between different hardline factions.

Analysts note that the IRGC provided the military and economic muscle that sustained his rule. Without his stabilising presence, it is expected the IRGC will emerge as the decisive power brokers, potentially reducing any future leader to a figurehead.

WILL MOJTABA KHAMENEI ENJOY SAME POWERS?

Whether Mojtaba Khamenei can wield the same absolute power as his father is the biggest question currently hanging over Tehran. While he has technically inherited the title of Supreme Leader, he faces three massive hurdles that his father did not:

1. The 1979 Revolution was fought specifically to end hereditary monarchy (the Shah). For Mojtaba to take over from his father looks like a return to a “Shiite Monarchy," which is ideologically offensive to many old-guard revolutionaries. Unlike his father, Mojtaba is not a “Grand Ayatollah" (Marja). Many senior clerics in Qom view him as a political appointee rather than a religious authority, which weakens his “soft power" over the faithful.

2. While Ali Khamenei managed to keep the IRGC (Revolutionary Guard) in check, Mojtaba is seen as being installed by them. There is a high likelihood that the IRGC generals—specifically the hardliners currently fighting the U.S. and Israel—will be the “power behind the throne." If he disagrees with the military, he may not have the personal prestige to overrule them the way his father did.

3. Mojtaba has taken power while the country is under heavy bombardment. In a crisis, power usually shifts to the people holding the weapons. With the “Police State" infrastructure being targeted by Israel to clear the way for a revolt, Mojtaba has to prove he can maintain order. If he cannot stop the protests or the strikes, his authority will evaporate quickly.

4. The Artesh (Regular Army) has historically been more skeptical of the Khamenei family than the IRGC. In a scenario where the IRGC is heavily damaged by external strikes, the Artesh might see an opportunity to assert independence, further fracturing the “absolute" power the Supreme Leader is supposed to have. Mojtaba currently has the legal power, but he lacks the natural authority his father built over 30 years. He is likely to be a much more fragile leader, heavily dependent on the military for survival.

With Agency Inputs

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