The “Power Behind The Robes”: WikiLeaks Shadows Mojtaba Khamenei As Succession Nears

TEHRAN / LONDON — As Iran’s Assembly of Experts prepares for an unprecedented wartime vote to name a new Supreme Leader, the spotlight has shifted to Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Amid reports that he has been chosen as his father’s successor, decades-old diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks have resurfaced, detailing personal health struggles that once complicated his path to leadership.

1. The WikiLeaks Reveal: “Medical Treatment in the UK”

Classified U.S. State Department briefings from 2008, unearthed by the Julian Assange-led platform, provide a rare look into the private life of the man often called the “power behind the robes.”

• Impotency Struggles: The documents claim Mojtaba underwent medical treatment for impotency during several extended visits to London in the early 2000s.
• The London Visits: He reportedly visited the Wellington and Cromwell hospitals. One diplomatic cable noted that his final stay lasted two months before his wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, successfully became pregnant.
• Pressure for Heirs: The cables suggest the Khamenei family placed significant pressure on Mojtaba to produce children quickly, eventually resulting in the birth of his son, Ali, named after his grandfather.

2. A Succession Forged in Fire

Following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, 2026, the secretive Mojtaba is now a frontrunner for the nation’s top office.

• IRGC Backing: Reports from Iran International suggest the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is pushing the Assembly of Experts to formalize Mojtaba’s leadership to ensure military continuity during the ongoing conflict.
• The Martyrdom Narrative: Hardliners have begun framing Mojtaba’s potential rise through the lens of sacrifice. His wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, was reportedly among the 49 people killed in the strikes that claimed his father’s life, granting him a “martyr’s family” status that appeals to the regime’s core base.

3. The Rival Contenders

While Mojtaba holds the strongest ties to the security apparatus, other names remain on the “top secret list” of the Assembly of Experts:

• Alireza Arafi: A member of the current Interim Leadership Council and a seasoned cleric with significant religious standing.
• Hassan Khomeini: The grandson of the 1979 revolution’s founder, viewed as a moderate counterweight, though he faces resistance from the IRGC.
• Mohsen Araki: A hardline cleric known for his strict adherence to revolutionary principles.

Succession Tracker: The Race for the Supreme Leader