Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly been selected to succeed his father as Iran’s supreme leader, according to Iranian opposition media.

Iranian International reported Tuesday that the 56-year-old cleric was chosen by Iran’s Assembly of Experts to take control of the country.

The claim was quickly echoed across Israeli media outlets, though it had not been verified by Iran’s official state-run media channels.

In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s strike that eliminated Iran’s top cleric, early reports had suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei might have been among roughly 40 senior figures killed in the attack. Those reports now appear to have been incorrect.

His reported elevation comes after days of uncertainty surrounding who would assume leadership following the death of the elder Khamenei, who had dominated Iran’s political and religious landscape for decades with a rigid anti-Western posture and tight control over the regime.

Mojtaba Khamenei is widely viewed as a firm adherent to his father’s uncompromising conservative ideology. He is also believed to maintain strong connections with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the powerful military force known for enforcing the regime’s authority, according to CNN.

Although he did not hold a formal government position under his father’s rule, Mojtaba was nevertheless placed under U.S. sanctions in 2019.

If confirmed, his selection would mark a notable shift for the Islamic Republic, which has historically rejected hereditary succession in leadership—particularly given that the 1979 revolution overthrew a monarchy.

Since the strike, Iran has reportedly been governed by a temporary three-man council that includes two senior loyalists who survived the attack. In the days following the upheaval, speculation intensified over who would ultimately consolidate power.

The country has faced mounting instability since the strikes, with continued missile attacks inside Iran and retaliatory rocket and drone assaults targeting U.S. interests throughout the region.