Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Former CIA Director David Petraeus responded on Sunday to the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s Supreme Leader, following the reported death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an attack involving the United States and Israel, an event that has heightened regional conflict.
Petraeus characterized the appointment of Mojtaba as “ill-advised,” noting widespread expectations for a more pragmatic leader to emerge.
“We assume that he will continue what his father did, which is a hardline ideological cleric,” he told Jessica Dean of CNN International, Monday, March 9, 2026.
“I don’t believe he is even an ayatollah unless he’s just been promoted, which also happened with his father, incidentally, he wasn’t particularly well known when he was selected several decades ago,” Petraeus stated.
Petraeus indicated that the U.S. Objective is to see a leader who will meet demands set by former President Trump, specifically regarding the cessation of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
“And that doesn’t appear to be happening at this point, unless, of course, he emerges as someone different when he’s actually in power,” Petraeus said.
Mojtaba, 56, is the second son of Khamenei and is known to wield significant behind-the-scenes influence, maintaining strong ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the country’s most powerful military body, as well as the Basij volunteer paramilitary forces. Mojtaba is not a high-ranking cleric and has held no official position within the regime.
The Assembly has only selected a modern leader once since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the swift selection of Ali Khamenei.
