Government Spokesperson: “That Era Has Passed - Iranians Now Choose Their Leader”

Fatemeh Mohajerani, spokesperson for the Islamic Republic government, defended the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei, as the country’s leader, stating: “The time has passed when, in September 1941, they sat in Tehran while Iran was absent from the meeting. It is Iran and the Iranians who decide who the leader shall be and what their policies will be.”

September 1941 marks the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran during World War II, when Allied forces compelled Reza Shah Pahlavi to abdicate without the consent of the Iranian people. By referencing this painful chapter in history, the spokesperson appears to be portraying Mojtaba Khamenei’s dynastic succession as an expression of “national sovereignty” in defiance of foreign (U.S./Israeli) interference, rather than as a hereditary transfer of power.

She portrayed Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership as the “choice of Iran and Iranians,” despite the fact that the process of selecting or appointing the Supreme Leader in the Islamic Republic does not rest with the general public.

The Supreme Leader is selected by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body. However, anyone seeking a seat in that Assembly must first be vetted and approved by the Guardian Council, whose members are directly or indirectly appointed by the Supreme Leader. This structure forms a “closed-loop” system that effectively keeps the broader public out of the leadership selection process.

The spokesperson for Masoud Pezeshkian’s government also defended holding government and leadership meetings in Iranian hospitals, saying: “We held the meeting at Gandhi Hospital, which was attacked, so the world would know what is happening in Iran.”

Gandhi Hospital is a prominent private luxury hospital in Tehran. Convening senior military or political meetings inside medical facilities is widely seen as controversial. While officials say the move was intended to ensure “international visibility,” critics contend that it risks turning hospitals into legitimate military targets or effectively using patients as “human shields” to discourage further airstrikes.

Addressing the prospect of fully closing the Strait of Hormuz, Fatemeh Mohajerani described the waterway between the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf as a “strategic asset” of the Islamic Republic, adding: “It is natural that we will make maximum use of this resource and our asset.”

The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important oil transit chokepoints. Threatening its closure is Iran’s “nuclear option” for the global economy. “Maximum use” is a veiled threat that Iran may mine the waters or use anti-ship missiles to halt global oil flow if the survival of the regime is at stake.

Repeating the words of other Islamic Republic officials, she stated that the U.S. and Israel started the war, but the Islamic Republic will end it.

The government spokesperson also defended the tiered classification of the internet in Iran, saying: “Measures have been taken so that facilities are provided only to those who can carry our voice to others.”

This effectively confirms the rollout of “Internet Layering.” While most citizens endure a near-total blackout or “Kill-Switch,” a limited circle of state-approved journalists, “cyber-army” members, and officials are granted fast, unrestricted access to the global internet to promote the regime’s narrative - what she refers to as “carrying our voice.”