'36 Years of Rule' Khamenei Stands at a Crossroads for Regime Survival

The Second Son Strongly Mentioned as Next Successor

Iran's theocratic regime is being shaken by Israel's attack. There is analysis that the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader who has exercised absolute power for the past 36 years (age 86, pictured), has suffered a serious blow.

Khamenei is the successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution and represents the Islamic Republic of Iran. Elected president in 1981, he became Supreme Leader after Khomeini's death in 1989 and has ruled since then. According to the constitution, Iran's president and parliament are chosen by election, but the Supreme Leader is a lifelong position exercising actual final authority over the military, as well as diplomatic and security policy.

Since the Israeli airstrikes began on the 13th, Khamenei has not appeared in public. Anti-regime Iranian media have reported that Khamenei fled with his family to an underground bunker. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, claimed to know the location of Khamenei's hideout, drawing much attention to the truth of this claim. Khamenei's second son, Mojtaba Khamenei (age 55), is strongly mentioned as his likely successor. He has been active as a religious scholar and is known to have close ties with the Revolutionary Guard and hardline conservatives. However, he lacks official political experience, and due to public resistance to hereditary succession, there are concerns that his actual succession could trigger internal conflict.

Reporter Sohyeon Lee y2eonlee@hankyung.com