PM Shehbaz felicitates Mojtaba Khamenei on assuming role as Iran’s Supreme Leader
- By Web Desk -
- Mar 10, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on assuming the country’s top leadership role, while also expressing condolences over the martyrdom of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a letter addressed to Mojtaba Khamenei, the prime minister conveyed his heartfelt congratulations on taking up the responsibilities of Iran’s Supreme Leadership.
He also expressed deep sorrow, on behalf of the people of Pakistan, over the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei and others, saying the news had caused profound grief among Pakistanis.
The prime minister said he was confident that under Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership, Iran would continue its journey towards peace, stability and prosperity.
Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed that Pakistan stands firmly with the leadership and people of Iran during this difficult time.
He noted that relations between Pakistan and Iran are rooted in shared faith, history, culture and language, which form a strong foundation for bilateral ties.
The prime minister also reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to continue working closely with Iran to further strengthen cooperation between the two brotherly countries.
Shehbaz Sharif concluded the message by praying for Mojtaba Khamenei’s good health and success, as well as for the peace and prosperity of the Iranian people.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader?
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba was chosen by Iran’s Assembly of Experts to succeed his late father as supreme leader.
The clerical body named the 56-year-old mid-ranking cleric, who has survived the US-Israeli air war on Iran, as successor more than a week after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an air strike, Iranian media reported.
A member of the council, Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, said in a video on Sunday that a candidate had been selected based on Khamenei’s guidance that Iran’s top leader should be “hated by the enemy”.
“Even the Great Satan (US) has mentioned his name,” Heidari Alekasir said of the chosen successor, days after US President Donald Trump said Mojtaba was an “unacceptable” choice for him.
Mojtaba Khamenei amassed power under his father as a senior figure close to the security forces. He has opposed reformers seeking to engage with the West as it tries to curb Iran’s nuclear programme.
His close ties with the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) give him added leverage across Iran’s political and security apparatus and he has built up influence behind the scenes as his father’s “gatekeeper”, sources familiar with the matter said.
“He has strong constituency and support within the IRGC,” said Kasra Aarabi, head of researching the IRGC at United Against Nuclear Iran, a US-based policy organisation.
The supreme leader has the final say on matters of state, including foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme. Western powers want to prevent Tehran developing nuclear arms. Iran says its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only.
Mojtaba Khamenei could face opposition from Iranians who have shown they are ready to stage mass protests to press their demands for greater freedoms
He was born in 1969 in the holy Shi’ite city of Mashhad and grew up as his father was helping lead the opposition to the Shah. As a young man, he served in the Iran-Iraq war.
Mojtaba Khamenei studied under religious conservatives in the seminaries of Qom, Iran’s center of Shi’ite theological learning, and has the clerical rank of Hojjatoleslam.
He has never held a formal position in the Islamic Republic’s government. He has appeared at loyalist rallies, but has rarely spoken in public.
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mojtaba Khamenei in 2019, saying he represented the supreme leader in “an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed to a government position” aside from working in his father’s office.