After Khamenei

On 8 March 2026, Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali Khamenei’s second son, was announced as the third Supreme Leader, the Wali-ye Faqih.  With this appointment, the regime signals its determination to preserve the facade of constitutional continuity surrounding Velayat-e Faqih. The succession of Mojtaba Khamenei brings into view the regime’s inability to apply its own legitimising principles to its rule, as well as the deep constitutional tensions on which this system rests. While alternatives such as a secular democratic order, proposed by prominent opposition figures, are gaining traction, the remnants of the Islamic Republic are confronted with the erosion of the system they upheld for decades.