Khamenei’s son seen as possible next Supreme Leader

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s late religious leader, survived US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in which his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed, two Iranian sources said.

Mojtaba is seen by the organization as a possible successor to his father, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

The hard-line Mojtaba, a mid-ranking cleric with close ties to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, is one of the most influential figures in Iran’s clergy.

For years he had been considered one of the best candidates to replace his father.

“He (Mojtaba) is alive… He was not in Tehran when the Supreme Leader was killed,” one of the sources said.

His father was killed on Saturday after the US and Israel attacked targets across Iran; Many military and other influential figures were killed.

Iranian state media announced Khamenei’s death early Sunday.

A senior Israeli official told Reuters the Iranian leader’s body had been found and US President Donald Trump said the US was working closely with Israel to target the man who has ruled Iran since 1989.