Khomeini, 53, holds a symbolically important role in public life as custodian of his grandfather's mausoleum in southern Tehran. Some politicians inside Iran have seen him as a rival to hardliners who gained sway under Khamenei, notably his son, Mojtaba. His selection could prove awkward, as the Islamic Republic has long criticized hereditary rule and cast itself as a more just alternative. He reached the landmark nuclear agreement with the Obama administration that US President Donald Trump scrapped during his first term. Lastly, Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi, a senior Shiite cleric handpicked by Khamenei to be a member of the Guardian Council in 2019.

Source: The Telegraph March 02, 2026 12:59 UTC