The U.S. says he's weak and unacceptable. But who is Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei?

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published March 13, 2026 at 12:03 PM EDT

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Demonstrators hold posters of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, rally in support of Palestinians in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said at a press conference Friday that Iran’s leadership has “gone underground, cowering, that’s what rats do,” after being profoundly weakened by U.S. attacks in the country.

He also questioned the authority of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a U.S. attack at the beginning of the conflict.

Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd talks to Afshon Ostovar, professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and writer for Foreign Affairs, about the new Supreme Leader.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.