Iran's New Leader Elevated by Revolutionary Guards

Mojtaba Khamenei's selection as supreme leader seen as strengthening the Guards' hardline policies

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards forced through the choice of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader, seeing him as a more pliant version of his father who would back their hardline policies. The Guards overcame the misgivings of senior political and clerical figures, and Khamenei has still not issued a statement nearly 48 hours after his selection during a war that has killed more than a thousand Iranians.

Why it matters

Khamenei's selection, engineered by the Guards, may add up to a more aggressive stance abroad and sterner internal repression. The Guards' domination of the system would further transform the Islamic Republic into a military state with only a thin veneer of religious legitimacy, undermining an already shrinking support base and allowing less room to address complex threats.

The details

Already very powerful, the Guards have gained yet greater sway since the war began and quickly overcame the misgivings of senior political and clerical figures whose opposition to the choice delayed the announcement by hours. Though an influential backroom operator for decades, Mojtaba Khamenei remains an obscure figure to many Iranians and may have been wounded in the U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father. The choice of leader constitutionally belongs to the Assembly of Experts, but the Guards were blunt in their messages, using the argument that the war required a fast process and selecting a candidate who defied the United States.

  • Mojtaba Khamenei was selected as the new supreme leader on Sunday, March 10, 2026.
  • The announcement of Khamenei's selection was delayed by hours due to opposition from senior political and clerical figures.

The players

Mojtaba Khamenei

The new supreme leader of Iran, seen as a more pliant version of his father who would back the Revolutionary Guards' hardline policies.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards

A powerful military force that forced through the choice of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader, seeing him as someone who would back their hardline policies.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

The late supreme leader of Iran, who had been able to rein in the Revolutionary Guards and balance their views against those of political and clerical elites.

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What they’re saying

“Mojtaba owes his position to the Revolutionary Guards and as such he is not going to be as supreme as his father was.”

— Alex Vatanka, Senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

The takeaway

The elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader, engineered by the powerful Revolutionary Guards, signals a potential shift towards a more hardline and aggressive stance both domestically and abroad, with the Guards gaining even greater influence over the country's decision-making process.