Exclusive: IRGC Threatened Some “Experts" to Secure Mojtaba Khamenei’s Leadership

March 11, 2026

Reports suggest that IRGC intelligence pressured members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and threatened their families to secure Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment as the country’s third Supreme Leader.

According to information obtained by IranWire, the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly pressured members of the Assembly of Experts - and threatened their families - to ensure the announcement of Mojtaba Khamenei as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.

An informed source told IranWire:

“The pressure from the Revolutionary Guard to announce Mojtaba Khamenei as his father’s successor as quickly as possible was so intense that the IRGC Intelligence Organization forced several dissenting members of the Assembly of Experts into this choice by threatening them and their family members. Their silence following the selection is likely a result of those same threats.”

Threatening family members is a standard procedure for security agencies in the Islamic Republic. The families of journalists and civil activists have frequently been taken “hostage” by security apparatuses. This tactic has also been used to silence government whistleblowers. For instance, the revelations of Abbas Palizdar, a member of the judicial inquiry committee during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency, only ceased after he and several family members and friends were arrested. He later stated that Judge Mortazavi told his wife in court, “Don’t wait for Palizdar; go find a new father for your children.”

According to IranWire’s source, the IRGC’s security apparatus has directed threats at dissenting members of the Assembly of Experts and their families to prevent any challenge to Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership.

On March 8, the Assembly of Experts announced that Mojtaba Khamenei had been chosen as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Days before the announcement, Iran International TV had reported that the Assembly made the decision under pressure from the IRGC.

Despite the announcement, no new footage or speeches from the third leader have been broadcast. State media refers to him as the “Ramadan Wounded,” but the extent of his injuries following Israeli and American strikes on the Office of the Supreme Leader remains unclear.