The Life, Crimes, and Dynastic Rise of Mojtaba Khamenei
March 8, 2026 — On March 8, the Iranian regime’s Assembly of Experts officially chose Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father as Supreme Leader. While the state presents him as a man of faith, investigative dossiers reveal a “corrupted prince” who has spent decades commanding paramilitary death squads and amassing a private fortune through the systematic pillaging of Iran’s oil wealth.
I. The Indoctrination of a Successor
Born on September 8, 1969, in Mashhad, Mojtaba was groomed within the regime’s most elite and controversial circles.
- The Alavi Network: Mojtaba attended the Alavi High School, the premier training ground for the children of the regime’s elite. This provided him with a “Deep State” network of lifelong allies who now occupy top positions in the security services.
- Dynastic Marriage: Mojtaba married Zahra Haddad-Adel, the daughter of a former Speaker of Parliament. This alliance fused the Khamenei family with the regime’s cultural and legislative leadership.
II. The “Commander of the Coup” (2005–2009)
Mojtaba’s rise to power is inseparable from the subversion of Iran’s elections and the blood spilled on Tehran’s streets.
- Rigging the Presidency: In 2005, reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi explicitly accused Mojtaba Khamenei of using the Basij militia to illegally install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Karroubi’s letters to the Leader identified Mojtaba as the “central pillar” of election fraud in both 2005 and 2009.
- The Mortazavi Tape: One of the most exclusive pieces of evidence regarding Mojtaba’s criminal orders involves Saeed Mortazavi, the notorious Tehran prosecutor. During the investigation into the Kahrizak prison murders, Mortazavi reportedly possessed a recording of a phone call from Mojtaba Khamenei, in which the “Crown Prince” directly ordered the brutal crackdown and mass arrests of 2009.
- The Habib Battalion: Originally a unit in the Iran-Iraq war, Mojtaba transformed the “Habib Battalion” into a specialized security ring. These forces, composed of the regime’s most loyalist intelligence agents, were the primary enforcers used to crush domestic uprisings. In response, The Guardian labeled Mojtaba the “Commander of the Coup.”
III. Regional Ambitions: The “Iraq Iftar”
Mojtaba has long acted as a shadow diplomat, directing regional instability alongside the late Qasem Soleimani then commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force.
- Manipulating Iraq: In June 2018, Mojtaba led a high-stakes dinner in Baghdad with Qasem Soleimani and top Iraqi politicians (including Nouri al-Maliki). During this meeting, Mojtaba reportedly dictated the formation of the Iraqi government, ensuring that Tehran-backed proxies would maintain control over the Iraqi parliament.
IV. The Global Property Empire: The Bloomberg Investigation
A recent landmark investigation by Bloomberg has exposed how Mojtaba used a network of shell companies and loyal oligarchs to shield a massive international real estate portfolio from the Iranian public.
- The London & Dubai Hubs: Mojtaba reportedly owns over 12 luxury mansions on Bishops Avenue in London (known as Billionaires’ Row) and a massive estate in Emirates Hills, Dubai.
- The Frankfurt Connection: He is linked to ownership of 5-star hotels in Germany, including the Hilton Frankfurt.
- The “Bagman” Ali Ansari: The empire was built primarily through Ali Ansari, the billionaire behind the Bank Ayandeh scandal, who utilized billions in “insider loans” to fund the Khamenei family’s overseas acquisitions.
V. Financial Crimes & The 1.6 Billion Euro Embezzlement
Mojtaba’s name is synonymous with the pillaging of the public treasury (Beit-al-Mal).
- In a report on February 18, 2026, the Austrian newspaper Der Standard revealed a massive €1.6 billion capital flight orchestrated by Mojtaba Khamenei, including a specific €706 million deal in Vienna
- Blackmail: Former President Ahmadinejad publicly claimed he held “verified documents” regarding this 1.6 billion Euro embezzlement, using it as a shield to prevent his own arrest by the Khamenei family.
Conclusion: A Legacy of Repression
By elevating Mojtaba Khamenei on March 8, the Assembly of Experts has once again showed that the regime lacks any pretense of religious or popular legitimacy. Mojtaba takes the throne as a leader who is already reviled for:
- Directing the 2009 massacres.
- Laundering billions of dollars through front companies and Turkish smugglers.
- Commanding the Basij to punish and torture his own people.
His reign begins with a nation united by a single, decades-old slogan: “Mojtaba bemiri, Rahbari ro nabini” (Mojtaba, may you die and never see the Leadership). The “Shadow Prince” has become the Sultan, but he inherits a country that has already rejected his family’s right to rule, as it rejected the rule of the Shah and his son.