The Israeli Mossad today (Sunday) posted on its official Persian-language account on X a photo of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei alongside his son Mojtaba Khamenei.
Across the image appeared the striking question: “Why did Mojtaba Khamenei burn his father’s will?" The question is directly tied to the covert power struggles in Tehran and suggests the possibility that Mojtaba destroyed a document detailing his father’s final wishes.
For years, Mojtaba Khamenei has been considered the most powerful man in the security apparatus and a preferred candidate of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but his appointment has encountered many obstacles.
Yesterday, it was reported that the Supreme Leader's son, who was reportedly chosen as his successor, was wounded in the opening blow of Operation Roaring Lion on Saturday morning last week, but survived the assassination attempt. Mojtaba's father, mother, wife and son were all killed that same Saturday.
Earlier today, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, Hossein Mozaffari, said that the meeting to select the next Supreme Leader will only take place within the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump expressed opposition to the son's appointment. Trump said in interviews with American media outlets, "Khamenei's son is unacceptable to me, we want someone who will bring harmony and peace to Iran. I have to be involved in the appointment," he told Axios last Thursday.