How Iran's Revolutionary Guards Elevated Mojtaba Khamenei to Supreme LeaderThe Rise of Mojtaba Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards' InfluenceBy Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowallDUBAI, March 10 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards forced through the choice of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader, seeing him as a more pliant version of his father who would back their hardline policies, bludgeoning aside the concerns of pragmatists, senior Iranian sources said. The Power Structure: Guards and the BeytAuthority is most visibly held by the Guards and the supreme leader's office, known as the beyt, which operates a parallel system of influence across the bureaucracy. Senior Guards were furious at his apology, sources told Reuters. The Guards used the argument that the war required a fast process and selecting a candidate who defied the United States. The body reached its quorum of two-thirds, he said, without specifying how many had in fact taken part, with 85-90% of those present backing Mojtaba Khamenei.

Source: Washington Post March 10, 2026 21:48 UTC