Two Iranian sources have told Reuters that Mojtaba Khamenei, the second-eldest son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has survived the Israeli airstrikes that killed his father on Saturday, February 27, 2026.
Mojtaba Khamenei, long considered one of the frontrunners to succeed his father as Iran’s Supreme Leader, was reportedly targeted alongside other senior figures in the same wave of strikes that eliminated the 86-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei and several key members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leadership.
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The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday, March 4, 2026, that Mojtaba is alive and has been moved to a secure location inside Iran. Iranian state media has not commented on his status or whereabouts.
Funeral Ceremony for Ayatollah Khamenei Iranian state television announced that a state funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will take place today (Wednesday) in Tehran, with millions expected to attend processions across the capital and other major cities. The ceremony comes amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and Iranian missile retaliation against U.S., Israeli, and Gulf targets.
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Who Could Succeed Khamenei? BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet, reporting from the region, outlined the succession dynamics: Under Iran’s constitution, the Assembly of Experts an 88-member clerical body must convene within one month of the Supreme Leader’s death to select a successor.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 55, has long been viewed as his father’s preferred choice despite having no formal clerical rank of Ayatollah (a requirement for the position). He wields significant behind-the-scenes influence through the IRGC and the Office of the Supreme Leader.
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Other potential candidates include: President Ebrahim Raisi (if he survives ongoing instability), Ayatollah Alireza Arafi (a conservative cleric close to the Khamenei family) and Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani (former judiciary chief).
Analysts note that any successor will face immediate challenges: internal power struggles, economic collapse under sanctions, widespread public anger over repression and hardship, and the ongoing war with Israel and the U.S.-led coalition.
Doucet added: “Iran is entering one of the most dangerous and unpredictable periods in its modern history. The death of Khamenei removes the single most unifying and divisive figure in the Islamic Republic. Whoever emerges will inherit a fractured elite, a furious population, and a war on multiple fronts.”
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The succession question now sits at the centre of Iran’s and the region’s future trajectory.
DDNewsOnline – Lagos
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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