Mojtaba Khamenei: Iran’s New Supreme Leader Sanctioned by the US in 2019

Trump Says ‘I’m Not Happy’ With Iran’s New Supreme Leader

News Desk: Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, assumed the country’s most powerful office with a controversial international record — he had already been on the United States sanctions list years before rising to the position.

The United States designated Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019 as part of sweeping sanctions targeting the inner circle of Iran’s leadership. According to the United States Department of the Treasury, he was sanctioned for “acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Supreme Leader of Iran,” referring to his father, Ali Khamenei.

The sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 13876, signed by then US President Donald Trump on June 24, 2019, aimed at tightening pressure on Iran’s top leadership and their networks.

The action also targeted Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and several individuals believed to be closely linked to the office of the Supreme Leader.

At the time, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctioned figures were connected to a wide range of activities Washington described as destabilising and violent.

“These individuals are linked to a wide range of malign behaviors by the regime, including bombings of the US Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in 1994, as well as torture, extrajudicial killings and repression of civilians,” Mnuchin said while announcing the sanctions.

Trump Reacts to Iran’s Leadership Choice

The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei has also drawn sharp reactions from Washington.

US President Donald Trump said he was unhappy with Iran’s decision to elevate Mojtaba as the country’s new Supreme Leader. According to Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade, Trump told him in a conversation after the announcement: “I am not happy.” when asked about Iran’s selection of its new Supreme Leader.

Trump has previously criticized Mojtaba’s elevation, suggesting that Tehran’s decision could further escalate tensions between the United States and Iran.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts Names New Leader

Mojtaba’s appointment came more than a week after the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in US–Israel strikes on Tehran on February 28.

Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts later confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei had been selected as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic following deliberations conducted under Article 108 of Iran’s Constitution.

In an official statement reported by Tehran Times, the Assembly said the decision was taken after careful deliberations and a decisive vote of its members.

The official social media account of Ali Khamenei also confirmed that Mojtaba had been formally named the new leader.

A Powerful but Controversial Figure

Born in 1969, Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly served during the Iran–Iraq War between 1987 and 1988.

Although he rarely appeared in public, analysts have long described him as one of the most influential figures inside Iran’s political establishment.

Reports and international assessments have linked him to oversight roles within Iran’s Basij militia — a paramilitary force that played a key role in suppressing protests following the disputed 2009 presidential election.

With Mojtaba Khamenei now occupying the most powerful office in Iran — despite having been on the US sanctions list for years — his rise underscores the deepening confrontation between Tehran and Washington amid already heightened tensions in the Middle East.