The Daily · The New York Times

Chosen by War: The Rise of Iran’s New Supreme Leader

March 17, 2026·34 min·3 clips

Iran's new supreme leader is the son of the former ruler, defying the revolution's promise to end hereditary power.

The Daily host Michael Barbaro speaks with New York Times Iran correspondent Farnaz Fasihi about the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's third supreme leader following his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's assassination in Israeli airstrikes. The episode opens by noting the fundamental irony of a hereditary succession in a revolution explicitly founded to end monarchic power transfer from father to son. Fasihi describes the selection process as Iran's version of Game of Thrones: 88 Assembly of Experts clerics theoretically hold the vote, but behind the scenes, rival factions of moderate politicians and Revolutionary Guards generals competed intensely. The moderate faction, led by National Security Council head Ali Larijani and President Pezeshkian, backed candidates like former President Hassan Rouhani, Hassan Khomeini (grandson of the revolution's founder), and a third technocratic candidate, arguing that the war made reform necessary. The hardline faction — particularly Revolutionary Guards generals and former spy chief Hossein Tayyeb — unanimously backed Mojtaba. When the New York Times broke the news that Mojtaba was the leading candidate, both Trump and Israel's defense minister threatened to kill the successor, causing a pause and opening space for the moderates to present two of the late Ayatollah's closest aides who testified he had not wanted his son to succeed him, along with an unsealed written will saying no family member should become supreme leader. The hardliners overrode this with a counter-offensive, calling an emergency vote that resulted in Mojtaba's confirmed election. Fasihi traces Mojtaba's biography: a teenager who volunteered to fight in the Iran-Iraq War at 17, became an advanced cleric in Qom, and then moved into his father's political office managing security and military affairs, forging alliances with the Revolutionary Guards leadership. He allegedly orchestrated the rigging of the 2009 presidential election and the violent crackdown on Green Movement protesters. Since becoming supreme leader, Mojtaba has made no public appearance, has not released any video, and has issued only brief written statements declaring he will continue his father's policies and keep all his father's generals in place. His supporters invoke the Mohammed bin Salman analogy — suggesting a hardliner with the credibility to eventually moderate — but Fasihi notes there is no evidence for this. The episode ends with Fasihi observing that most Iranians, many of whom had briefly hoped the war would bring regime change, now feel fear has replaced hope as bombing continues and Mojtaba's ascension becomes permanent. The episode is suited for listeners following the Iran war, Middle East geopolitics, and questions of political succession in authoritarian states.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Daily