{"id":42097,"date":"2026-03-20T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=42097"},"modified":"2026-03-21T07:39:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T14:39:20","slug":"who-are-irans-new-leaders-a-look-at-6-the-us-placed-a-bounty-on-2-of-whom-are-already-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/who-are-irans-new-leaders-a-look-at-6-the-us-placed-a-bounty-on-2-of-whom-are-already-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are Iran\u2019s new leaders? A look at 6 the US placed a bounty on \u2013 2 of whom are already dead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mehrzad Boroujerdi<\/a>, Missouri University of Science and Technology<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trump administration announced a US$10 million reward<\/a> on March 15, 2026, for information leading to the capture of several senior Iranian figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While two of these leaders have since been killed by Israeli strikes<\/a>, they are included here to provide a more complete picture of Iran\u2019s powerful elite \u2013 people deeply embedded in the Islamic Republic\u2019s political, intelligence and security architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an international affairs scholar<\/a>, I know their careers reflect the institutional pillars of the regime \u2013 clerical authority, intelligence coordination, military power \u2013 and help explain why they are considered high-value targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei<\/a>, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike in February 2026, Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was chosen as Iran\u2019s new supreme leader<\/a> in early March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long viewed as a powerful behind-the-scenes figure<\/a>, he operated within his father\u2019s inner circle. He has cultivated strong relationships with Iran\u2019s security and intelligence institutions<\/a> and earned a reputation as a political fixer and enforcer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite never holding formal elected or senior appointed office, Khamenei had been widely perceived as a potential successor to his father. Such a transition would have been controversial under normal circumstances, given his lack of experience and the ideological sensitivity around hereditary succession in a system born from anti-monarchical revolution<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khamenei has also been linked to political controversies. During the 2005 presidential election, reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi accused him of involvement in electoral manipulation<\/a>. Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad later alleged that Khamenei engaged in financial misconduct<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public opposition to his perceived rise was visible during the 2022\u201323 protests, when demonstrators explicitly rejected the prospect of his leadership by shouting \u201cMojtaba, may you die and never see leadership<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seyyed Ali-Asghar (Mir) Hejazi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A cleric with long-standing ties to Iran\u2019s intelligence apparatus, Seyyed Ali-Asghar Hejazi had been among the closest aides to Ali Khamenei<\/a>. He began his political career in 1980 as part of a \u201cpurification committee\u201d tasked with firing perceived opponents from state institutions in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution in 1979<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hejazi later served as deputy for foreign affairs in the Ministry of Intelligence in the early 1980s and, more recently, as deputy chief of staff in the Office of the Supreme Leader<\/a>. In this role, he has functioned as a key intermediary between various branches of government as well as religious and political personalities \u2013 transmitting Khamenei\u2019s directives<\/a>, shaping high-level policy and coordinating Iran\u2019s complex intelligence and security networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury<\/a> in 2013 for alleged human rights violations, including involvement in the suppression of the 2009 Green Movement<\/a>, and by the European Union in 2019. He apparently survived an Israeli attack<\/a> on March 6, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seyyed Esmail Khatib<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Seyyed Esmail Khatib<\/a>, 64, who was killed on March 18, 2026, had built his career within Iran\u2019s intelligence and security establishment. He joined intelligence operations linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1980 and was wounded during the Iran\u2013Iraq War<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the war, this cleric held a series of senior intelligence roles, including director general of intelligence for Qom province, starting in 1991. He also held positions within the supreme leader\u2019s security office<\/a> from 2009\u201311 and was head of the judiciary\u2019s Protection and Intelligence Center, a counterintelligence body within Iran\u2019s judiciary, from 2012\u201319. He later served as a senior official within Astan Quds Razavi<\/a>, a major religious and economic conglomerate controlled directly by Iran\u2019s supreme leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2020 for alleged human rights abuses, Khatib became Iran\u2019s minister of intelligence<\/a> in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ali Larijani<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ali Larijani<\/a>, who was assassinated on March 17, 2026, was one of the Islamic Republic\u2019s most experienced political insiders. Born into a prominent clerical family, he rose through both military and civilian institutions, beginning with roles linked to the Revolutionary Guard in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Ali Larijani speaks to media in Tehran on May 31, 2024. Fatemeh Bahrami\/Anadolu via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over the decades, Larijani, 68, held numerous senior positions. Those include minister of culture from 1992\u201394 and head of state broadcasting from 1994\u20132004. He was also secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 2004\u201308 and again from 2025\u201326. Larijani also served as Iran\u2019s chief nuclear negotiator<\/a> from 2005-07.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From early January 2026, and more clearly following the Feb. 28 killing of Ayatollah Khamenei, Larijani emerged as a central decision-maker<\/a> within the system before his death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brig. Gen. Eskandar Momeni<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Revolutionary Guard-affiliated security official, Eskandar Momeni<\/a>, 64, is a veteran of the Iran\u2013Iraq War<\/a> and participated in counterinsurgency operations against leftist groups in northern Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He later held a range of senior law enforcement roles, including head of the Police Emergency Center, a dispatch center that directs emergency response units, from 2004\u201305, deputy for operations of the national police from 2005\u201308, and chief of traffic police from 2009\u201314. He also holds a doctorate in national security<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As deputy commander of Iran\u2019s Law Enforcement Force, responsible for public security, from 2015\u201318, Momeni oversaw security responses during the 2017-18 protests<\/a>, which were met with force. Since becoming minister of interior<\/a> in August 2024, he has remained a central figure in domestic security policy, including the lethal response to unrest in early 2026<\/a> in which an estimated 7,000 to 30,000 Iranians were killed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Eskandar Momeni speaks to lawmakers in the Iranian Parliament in Tehran on Aug. 20, 2024. Morteza Nikoubazl\/NurPhoto via Getty Image<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Maj. Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A senior Revolutionary Guard commander and longtime military strategist, Yahya Rahim Safavi<\/a>, 73, received military training in Syria prior to the 1979 revolution and later became a key figure during the Iran\u2013Iraq War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He served as commander of the Revolutionary Guard ground forces, from 1985\u201389, deputy commander in chief from 1989\u201397 and commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guard from 1997\u20132007. During his tenure, he reportedly also earned a Ph.D. in geography<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2006, the U.N. Security Council put Safavi on its sanctions list<\/a> for his involvement in Iran\u2019s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. After stepping down as Revolutionary Guard commander, Safavi was appointed senior military adviser to the supreme leader and is still serving in that role. He remains under U.S. sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mehrzad Boroujerdi<\/a>, Vice Provost and Dean of College of Arts, Sciences, and Education, Missouri University of Science and Technology<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Missouri University of Science and Technology The Trump administration announced a US$10 million reward on March 15, 2026, for information leading to the capture of several senior Iranian figures. While two of these leaders have since been killed by Israeli strikes, they are included here to provide a more complete picture of Iran\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":42098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[46,295,10,296,36,4,38],"tags":[17572,7482,17571,16530,16573,17496,3666,885,891,886,860,17561,1749,1602,7518,7512],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42097"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42097"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42099,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42097\/revisions\/42099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}