Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ruhollah Khomeini, is expected to play a prominent role in deliberations over who will succeed Ali Khamenei as Iran Supreme Leader following his assassination in a US-Israeli attack.
Read More: Iran’s leader Khamenei assassinated in US-Israel blitz
Khamenei’s death at 86 has accelerated a long-standing but unresolved succession question within Iran’s clerical establishment. Hassan Khomeini, 53, is regarded as the most visible of the late revolutionary leader’s 15 grandchildren and is widely seen as a relative moderate.
🚨🇮🇷 With Ali Khamenei dead, attention shifts to Hassan Khomeini, grandson of Ruhollah Khomeini.
He’s a mid-ranking cleric with reformist ties, has never held government office, and was once blocked from running for the Assembly of Experts.
Moderate by regime standards, loyal… https://t.co/9I96zx5iQ7 pic.twitter.com/aO0EQcgqBk
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 2, 2026
He maintains close ties with reformist figures such as former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani, both of whom pursued engagement with the West during their terms. Khomeini supported Rouhani’s administration, including the 2015 nuclear agreement later abandoned by US President Donald Trump in 2018.
Although he has never held government office, Khomeini serves as custodian of his grandfather’s mausoleum in southern Tehran, a role that carries symbolic significance. He has occasionally voiced criticism of authorities, including condemning the Guardian Council’s 2021 decision to bar reformist candidates from presidential elections that paved the way for hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a 2024 helicopter crash.
Khomeini also called for transparency following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests. However, he has remained loyal to the Islamic Republic, criticising anti-government demonstrators and reaffirming support for the system during periods of unrest.
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Described by associates as a progressive theologian interested in Western philosophy and social issues, Khomeini was previously disqualified from running for the Assembly of Experts. Despite this, some reformists view him as a potential moderate alternative to hardline contenders in Iran’s evolving political landscape.