Under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) it is being reported that Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader’s second son, has been elected as the next Supreme Leader.

Like his father he is aligned with Iran's hardline conservative camp and is known to have participated in suppressing internal dissent back during protests in 2009 by taking control of the Basij. How he will be received is going to be very very interesting. He is only a mid-ranking cleric and has never held a formal government position. In a twist of fate this seems like a hereditary transfer of power... what you would expect from a Monarchy.

The Supreme Leader after all is supposed to be a sufficiently senior cleric by traditional standards. However, given his cultivated ties to the IRGC it seems that the Assembly of Experts is willing to look past this and chose Mojtaba Khamenei. It should be noted that prior to former Supreme Leader Khamenei reportedly did not want his son to be named after him because it would cause fractions within the religious and political leadership.