Politics
Khamenei’s martyrdom brings Khomeini’s grandson into focus
A grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is likely to figure prominently in the deliberations of the clerics who will determine who replaces Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader.
The martyrdom of Khamenei, 86, in a US-Israeli attack has brought new urgency to the question of who will be the next Supreme Leader, a long-simmering issue over which there had been no clarity despite his age.
Hassan Khomeini is the most visible of the late Ayatollah’s 15 grandchildren and is seen as a relative moderate within Iran’s clerical establishment. He enjoys close ties to reformists including former presidents Mohammed Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, who both pursued policies of engagement with the West when in office.
Khomeini, 53, holds a symbolically important role in public life as custodian of his grandfather’s mausoleum in southern Tehran. He has never served in government.
Some politicians inside Iran have seen him as a rival to hardliners who gained sway under Khamenei, notably his son, Mojtaba.
The case for installing a moderate successor to Khamenei gained momentum among some Iranian politicians in the wake of unrest that swept Iran in January as a means of shoring up the Islamic Republic in the face of widening dissent.
Khomeini demanded accountability for Amini’s death
While loyal to the Islamic Republic established after the Shah was toppled in 1979, Khomeini has a track record of urging reform and has occasionally voiced dissent against authorities.
In 2021, he criticised the Guardian Council – the branch of Iran’s theocracy responsible for vetting presidential candidates – after it barred reformists from running.
The council’s move paved the way for the victory of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2024.
“You can’t pick someone for me and tell me to vote for them!” Khomeini said at the time.
He also demanded accountability after Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman, died in 2022 after being taken into custody by morality police, accused of violating conservative dress codes – an incident that ignited countrywide protests.
Authorities “must transparently and precisely account for what has happened to this 22-year-old girl under the pretext of ‘guidance and education’,” he said.
But, reflecting his loyalty to the system, the mid-ranking cleric also criticised protesters who chanted against Khamenei.
During the unrest that swept Iran in December and January — the deadliest since the 1979 revolution — he rallied behind the establishment, accusing rioters of serving Israel, taking part in a pro-government march, and likening some of the violence to the actions of Islamic State.
In a condolence letter, Khomeini said Khamenei would forever “be the hero of the people of Iran and Muslims”, adding: “The noble people of Iran will once again walk the path of the Imam (Khomeini) by overcoming this incident.”
‘Progressive Theologian’
A close friend of Khomeini’s, speaking to Reuters in 2015, described him as a progressive theologian, especially when it comes to music, women’s rights, and social freedom. He follows trends on social media and is interested in Western philosophy as much as Islamic thought.
His wife, Sayyeda Fatima, is the daughter of an Ayatollah, and they have four children.
Some reformists urged him to run for the presidency in 2012, but he declined.
Khomeini supported the Rouhani government that negotiated the 2015 nuclear agreement, which eased sanctions in return for limits on the nuclear programme – until US President Donald Trump tore it up in 2018.
He has spoken openly about economic hardships endured by Iranians during years of sanctions imposed over the nuclear programme.
A decade ago, Khomeini sought to run in an election for the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for picking the Supreme Leader.
He secured an initial nod of approval for his candidacy from Khamenei, who reportedly gave his blessing while also cautioning Khomeini against doing any harm to his grandfather’s name. But he was later disqualified by the Guardian Council.
Though his religious credentials were cited for the disqualification – Khomeini holds the clerical rank of Hojatoleslam, one notch below Ayatollah – the move was seen as intended to head off a potential challenge by the reformist camp.
In 2008, he was widely regarded as criticising Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) when he said in an interview that those claiming loyalty to his grandfather’s legacy should follow his order that the military must stay out of politics. He nevertheless enjoys close ties to the Guards, an elite force tasked with safeguarding the Islamic Revolution.
During the 12-day air war between Israel and Iran last year, Khomeini wrote to Khamenei praising his leadership and saying Iranian missiles had become a nightmare for Israel and a source of satisfaction for the Iranian nation, according to Jamaran, an Iranian news website dedicated to Khomeini’s memory.
Khomeini has described Israel as the “evil Zionist regime” and “a cancerous tumour” backed by the West, and has said the Muslim world should make itself strong to confront Zionism, according to statements reported by Jamaran.
He is fluent in Arabic and English, according to the biography, and was a keen footballer until the age of 21, when his grandfather insisted he go to the city of Qom to study Islamic theology.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi touched down in Islamabad on Friday night amid expectations of renewed engagement between Iran and the United States to end the Middle East conflict.
FM Araghchi will hold meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar during the visit.
The Iranian delegation was received by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, along with other senior officials upon arrival in Islamabad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
During the visit, the Iranian FM will hold meetings with Pakistan’s senior leadership to discuss the latest regional developments as well as ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability, it added.
Earlier today, Iranian state media reported that Araghchi will depart on Friday (today) for a tri-nation tour that includes visits to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow.
“The purpose of this visit is to hold bilateral consultations and discuss current developments in the region, as well as the latest situation in the war imposed by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran,” the state news agency IRNA said.
Meanwhile, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan on Saturday for a new round of talks with Iran on ending the war, the White House said.
“I can confirm Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Friday.
Leavitt said that Vance remained ready to fly to Pakistan but will not for now. “Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary,” she said.
A US logistics and security team is already present in the federal capital ahead of the potential second round of peace talks, sources said.
They said that the development was the result of pivotal conversations conducted by Pakistan’s mediation team.
The talks would come more than two weeks after Vice President JD Vance held the first round of talks with Iranian representatives in Pakistan.
The development emerged shortly after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged continued dialogue and engagement to resolve disputes between the US and Iran, saying the diplomatic process was essential for advancing regional peace and stability.
DPM Dar made the remarks during a phone call with Araghchi, in which they also discussed the ongoing US-Iran ceasefire, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
DPM Dar and Araghchi also exchanged views on the ongoing diplomatic efforts being pursued by Islamabad in the context of US-Iran engagement.
The Iranian FM lauded Pakistan’s consistent and constructive role in facilitating peace talks between the US and Iran.
A second round of talks between Tehran and Washington faced ambiguity after both sides failed to agree on their respective measures in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran blocked the waterway after the US and Israel launched attacks across Iran on February 28. Apart from closing Hormuz, Tehran also launched strikes against Israel and US bases across the Middle East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mediated a two-week ceasefire between the two sides on April 8 and then facilitated the first round of talks in Islamabad on April 11.
However, the talks concluded without a deal on a permanent end to the conflict.
Following an inconclusive first round of talks, US President Donald Trump announced a US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran declared Hormuz open on April 17, citing a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel. However, it closed the strait the following day due to the US blockade of Iranian maritime trade, a measure Tehran considers an act of war.
Despite the hostilities on both sides, Islamabad continued its diplomatic outreach to bring Tehran and Washington back to the table and extend the two-week ceasefire.
Hours before the expiry of the ceasefire on April 22, US President Donald Trump announced extending the truce until an Iranian proposal was submitted and discussions were concluded.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president said he was acting at the request of Pakistan to hold off attacks until Iranian leaders and representatives could come up with what he called a unified proposal.
The first deputy head of the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Russian Defense Ministry says Iran demonstrated a “shining example” of defense during the recent illegal US-Israeli war of aggression.
“Iranian Armed Forces showed to the world a shining example of their firm resolve to defend their country’s interests,” Major-General Yevgeny Ilyin said during a ceremony in Moscow on Thursday, marking Iran’s National Army Day.
Iranian forces, he added, stand ready to deliver a proper and proportionate response to emerging challenges and threats.
The Russian military official said the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, with its steadfastness and courage, has protected the country’s defense and security and turned into a reliable guarantor for the nation’s independence and stability.
The unprovoked US-Israeli aggression on Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders.
Iranian armed forces unleashed 100 waves of successful retaliatory strikes against sensitive and strategic American and Israeli targets throughout the region.
On April 8, forty days into the war, a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire went into effect but the first round of Tehran-Washington negotiations failed to reach an agreement.
Referring to the strategic partnership pact signed between Iran and Russia, Ilyin said that both states have maintained their cooperation in many fields.
Iran-Russia defense relations are multifaceted, encompassing areas from the deep sea to space, he added.
The military official also reiterated Russia’s resolve to implement previous agreements with Iran and continue working on plans for bilateral military cooperation.
During the ceremony, Iran’s military attaché to Russia Sadeq Rezaei Moqaddam said Iranian Armed Forces have always been committed to moral principles and differentiated between military and civilian targets.
On the contrary, he said, the US and the Israeli regime perpetrated horrible war crimes by killing 170 students and teachers at an elementary school in the city of Minab, and targeting the Iranian Dena destroyer which was returning home from a naval drill in India.
The attacks on civilian infrastructure and educational centers represent the enemies’ strategic failure to deal a blow to the will of the Iranian nation, Rezaei Moqaddam asserted.
The perfect coordination of the Army units and other forces caused the aggressors to step back and thwarted their calculations, he said.
He further stressed that enhanced technical and military cooperation between the Iranian and Russian armed forces not only guarantees the national security of both nations, but is also the main pillar to safeguarding stability in Eurasia and countering unilateralism and organized international crimes.
- Netanyahu does not disclose when treatment occurred.
- Delayed release of medical report by two months: Israeli PM.
- Move aimed at preventing Iran from spreading “propaganda”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said that he had received successful treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, without specifying when the treatment took place.
In a statement on social media, as his annual medical report was released, Netanyahu, 76, said an early stage malignant tumor had been discovered during a routine checkup. He said “targeted treatment” had removed “the problem” and left no trace of it.
According to the medical report, which otherwise said the prime minister was in good health, Netanyahu was treated with radiation therapy for early-stage prostate cancer.
Neither the medical report nor Netanyahu said when the treatment occurred.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister said that he had delayed the release of the medical report by two months to prevent Iran from spreading “false propaganda against Israel”.
In March, during the fighting with Iran, rumors that circulated on social media and aired on Iranian state media claimed that Netanyahu had died.
The Israeli leader recorded a video of himself visiting a Jerusalem cafe in March to refute the claims.
Netanyahu underwent surgery on his prostate in 2024 after he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection resulting from a benign prostate enlargement. In 2023, he was fitted with a pacemaker. Elections are due to be held in Israel by October.
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