Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's grandson, Hassan Khomeini look on as they visit the shrine of the leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in southern Tehran, Iran, January 31, 2026.
Khamenei's death brings Khomeini's grandson into focus 1/2
March 1 (Reuters) - A grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran,is likely to figure prominently in the deliberations of the clerics who will determine who replaces Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader.
The killing of Khamenei, 86, in a U.S.-Israeli attack has broughtnew urgencyto the question of who will be the next Supreme Leader, a long-simmering issue over which there had been no clarity despite his age.
Hassan Khomeini is the most visible of the late Ayatollah's 15 grandchildren and is seen as a relative moderate within Iran's clerical establishment. He enjoys close ties to reformists including former presidents Mohammed Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, who both pursued policies of engagement with the West when in office.
Khomeini, 53, holds a symbolically important rolein public life as custodian of his grandfather's mausoleum in southern Tehran.He has never served in government.
Some politicians inside Iranhave seen him as a rival to hardlinerswho gained sway under Khamenei,notably his son, Mojtaba.
The case for installing a moderate successor to Khamenei gained momentum amongsome Iranian politicians in the wake of unrest that swept Iran in Januaryas a means of shoring up the Islamic Republic in the face of widening dissent.
KHOMEINI DEMANDED ACCOUNTABILITY FOR AMINI'S DEATH
While loyal to the Islamic Republic established after the Shah was toppled in 1979,Khomeinihas a track record of urging reform and has occasionally voiced dissent against authorities.
In 2021, he criticised the Guardian Council -the branch of Iran's theocracyresponsible for vetting presidential candidates - after it barred reformists from running.
The council's move paved the way for the victory of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in 2024.
"You can't pick someone for me and tell me to vote for them!" Khomeini said at the time.
He also demanded accountability after Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman, died in 2022after being taken into custody by morality police, accused of violating conservative dress codes - an incident that ignited countrywide protests.
Authorities "must transparently and precisely account for what has happenedto this 22-year-old girl under the pretext of 'guidance and education'," he said.
But, reflecting his loyalty to the system, the mid-ranking cleric also criticised protesters who chanted against Khamenei.
During the unrest that swept Iran in December and January - the deadliest since the 1979 revolution - he rallied behind the establishment, accusing rioters of serving Israel, taking part in a pro-government march, andlikening some of the violence to the actions of Islamic State.
In a condolence letter, Khomeini saidKhamenei would forever "be the hero of the people of Iran and Muslims", adding: "The noble people of Iran will once again walk the path of the Imam (Khomeini) by overcoming this incident."
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/khameneis-death-brings-khomeinis-grandson-focus