Iran has designated Mohammad Mokhber Dezfouli, a former acting president and senior adviser, as successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike, according to reports on the 1st.
Born in 1955, Mokhber serves as adviser and aide to Khamenei, according to foreign media. He served as acting president until July 2024 following the sudden death of former President Ebrahim Raisi, and held the position of First Vice President from 2021 until recently.
A businessman by background, Mokhber notably led the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order (EIKO), Iran's secretive corporate organization, for 14 years starting in 2007 on behalf of Khamenei. Established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Pahlavi dynasty to manage confiscated assets, EIKO functions as a state-owned conglomerate holding stakes across Iran's economy, including energy, telecommunications, finance, and healthcare sectors. EIKO has forcibly seized land and property from opponents of the Khomeini regime, religious minorities, and exiled Iranians, stripping them of economic rights. The United States placed sanctions on Mokhber and EIKO in 2019.
Though born into a clerical family, Mokhber holds degrees in business administration, international law, and electrical engineering, and has expanded Khamenei's economic power. He controlled more than $95 billion through seized Iranian civilian property and served as vice president of the National Iranian Oil Company and Mostazafan Foundation—Iran's largest holding company and the second-largest in the Middle East. He also served as CEO of its trading subsidiary and sat on the boards of affiliate Sina Bank and telecommunications subsidiary MTN Irancell. Through these positions, he funded Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
He also directed support for strategic industries, domestic demand expansion, and privatization of state enterprises to revitalize Iran's economy. His appointment is interpreted as an effort to stabilize the situation following Khamenei's death by selecting a "economic expert" and "principlist." However, his role in financing weapons programs, funding terrorist organizations, and domestic corruption allegations are expected to spark controversy both inside and outside Iran.
