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Who is Iranā€™s supreme leader?

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Iranā€™s supreme leader is Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected in March 2026 by the Assembly of Experts to succeed his father Ali Khamenei. Although Mojtaba Khamenei had hardly made any public appearances before becoming supreme leader, he was well known for his commanding role in the Office of the Supreme Leader (Bayt-e RahbārÄ«), where he cultivated a tight and influential network across Iranian government institutions. When his father was killed at the start of the 2026 Iran War, Mojtaba Khamenei was well-positioned to consolidate control quickly during a time of war and prevent friction and fracture within the regime during the succession. He was an unpopular choice, however, with a reputation formed by accusations of engineering Mahmoud Ahmadinejadā€™s victory in the 2005 presidential election as well as the crackdown on the 2009 presidential election protests.