Ali Khamenei, 81, has been Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989, when he succeeded the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Under Iran's Islamic republican system, the supreme leader ranks above the president and has the power to appoint senior military, government and judiciary figures, and serves as commander-in-chief of Iran's armed forces.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's health is deteriorating and he has transferred power over to his 51-year-old son Mojtaba Khamenei, a theological scholar and Iran-Iraq War veteran, Newsweek has reported, citing self-described ‘Iranian journalist Mohamad Ahwaze' on Twitter.
Newsweek said it could not independently confirm or verify Ahwaze's claims, and mistakenly spelled his first name ‘Momahad' instead of ‘Mohamad'.
The journalist himself cited unnamed “sources” in Iran who he said have been talking about Khamenei's health condition.
“Iranian sources confirm that the duties and powers of the office of Supreme Leader Khamenei have been transferred to his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who oversees several security and intelligence departments in Iran,” he tweeted in a follow-up tweet.
Ahwaze also noted that the cause of Khamenei's alleged poor health was not clear, but possibly related to prostate cancer.
In addition to Newsweek, the journalist's claims were picked up by the Jerusalem Post, as well as at least one UK tabloid (who…
