On June 21, 2025, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, is reported to have privately named three senior clerics as potential successors—a rare move prompting speculation that his more than three-decade rule may soon come to an end. Notably, his son Mojtaba Khamenei—long considered a frontrunner—is absent from the list. This suggests a deliberate move away from a hereditary succession model.

Officials cite intensifying Israeli airstrikes and U.S. pressure as factors prompting this unprecedented shift: Khamenei’s inner circle has been “hollowed out” by recent losses of top commanders, triggering regime anxiety over a smooth power transition. Alleged concerns about his safety have led him to revert to bunker-like confinement, using limited communication to relay orders—a stark departure from his usually public posture .

By bypassing Mojtaba, critics argue Khamenei aims to reduce public perceptions of nepotism and safeguard clerical legitimacy via the Assembly of Experts. Nonetheless, this move has not quelled the regime’s unease: analysts warn that removing dynasty may steepen internal divisions and deepen instability amid rising external threats .

As Iran faces escalating regional tensions and internal uncertainties, the identity of those three clandestine nominees could define the nation's path after Khamenei.