Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, aged 85, is reportedly seriously ill, with his second oldest son, Mojtaba Khamenei, likely to succeed him when he dies, a Saturday New York Times report disclosed.
The report noted that Khamenei’s serious medical condition created a “quiet battle” over his succession. It also stated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps would have a say in who would become the Ayatollah’s successor.
Concern grew over Khamenei’s successor after former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash last May.