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Mir-Hossein Mousavi Warns of Conspiracy to Pass on Position of Iran Guide to Khamenei's Son

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivers a speech on the occasion of Noruz, the Iranian New Year, in Tehran, March 20, 2022. (AFP)
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivers a speech on the occasion of Noruz, the Iranian New Year, in Tehran, March 20, 2022. (AFP)
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Mir-Hossein Mousavi Warns of Conspiracy to Pass on Position of Iran Guide to Khamenei's Son

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivers a speech on the occasion of Noruz, the Iranian New Year, in Tehran, March 20, 2022. (AFP)
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivers a speech on the occasion of Noruz, the Iranian New Year, in Tehran, March 20, 2022. (AFP)

Iranian reformist leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who has been under house arrest for more than a decade, warned against the possibility of one of Ali Khamenei’s sons inheriting the position of the supreme guide – a move that he described as conspiracy.

In an article published by Iran’s Al-Kalima news website, affiliated with Mousavi, the leader pointed to rumors that Mojtaba Khamenei would inherit the position of his father.

Khamenei’s succession has raised controversy in Iran since 2005. But the issue has drawn particular attention after the current president, Ibrahim Raisi, entered the presidential race in 2017, which he lost in favor of his rival, Hassan Rouhani, before he repeated the attempt in 2021 to assume the position of head of the executive body, making him a serious candidate for the position.

A council of senior experts looks into naming the successor to the Iranian spiritual guide, in the event of his death or if he was unable to perform his duties. Supervising the performance of the leader is one of the functions of the council, which includes 88 senior and influential clerics.

Mousavi, his wife Zahra Rahnavard, and his ally Mehdi Karroubi have been under house arrest since February 2011, after they led the Green Movement protests, which questioned the validity of the elections that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the presidency in 2009.

This is not the first time that the reformist movement in Iran has pointed to the role of the Iranian leader’s son in the ruling establishment, including elections or the possibility of him inheriting the position of his father.

In December 2018, Mehdi Karroubi sent a sharp message to Khamenei, asking him to assume responsibility for his actions over the period in which he served as Iran’s supreme leader.

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Italians Head to Polls in Referendum on Citizenship and Labor, But Vote Risks Sinking on Low Turnout

A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/ LaPresse via AP)
A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/ LaPresse via AP)
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Italians Head to Polls in Referendum on Citizenship and Labor, But Vote Risks Sinking on Low Turnout

A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/ LaPresse via AP)
A woman casts her ballot in a box for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/ LaPresse via AP)

Italians headed to the polls Monday on the second and final day of referendums that would make it easier for children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship, and on providing more job protections. But partial data showed a low turnout, well below the required 50% plus one threshold, risking to invalidate the vote.
Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law say it will help second-generation Italians born in the country to non- European Union parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs, The Associated Press said.
Partial data from Italy’s Interior Ministry published at 2100 GMT on Sunday showed that national turnout stood at 22.7%, just over half of the 41% registered at the same time of the day in the latest comparable referendum held in 2011. The polling stations close later Monday at 1300 GMT.
The new rules, if passed, could affect about 2.5 million foreign nationals who still struggle to be recognized as citizens.
The measures were proposed by Italy’s main union and left-wing opposition parties. Premier Giorgia Meloni showed up at the polls on Sunday evening but didn't cast a ballot — an action widely criticized by the left as antidemocratic, since it won't contribute to reaching the necessary threshold to make the vote valid.
“While some members of her ruling coalition have openly called for abstention, Meloni has opted for a more subtle approach,“ said analyst Wolfango Piccoli of the Teneo consultancy based in London. ”It’s yet another example of her trademark fence-sitting.’’
Rights at stake
Supporters say this reform would bring Italy’s citizenship law in line with many other European countries, promoting greater social integration for long-term residents. It would also allow faster access to civil and political rights, such as the right to vote, eligibility for public employment and freedom of movement within the EU.
“The real drama is that neither people who will vote ‘yes’ nor those who intend to vote ‘no’ or abstain have an idea of what (an) ordeal children born from foreigners have to face in this country to obtain a residence permit,” said Selam Tesfaye, an activist and campaigner with the Milan-based human rights group Il Cantiere.
Activists and opposition parties also denounced the lack of public debate on the measures, accusing the governing center-right coalition of trying to dampen interest in sensitive issues that directly impact immigrants and workers.
In May, Italy’s AGCOM communications authority lodged a complaint against RAI state television and other broadcasters over a lack of adequate and balanced coverage.
Opinion polls published in mid-May showed that only 46% of Italians were aware of the issues driving the referendums. Turnout projections were even weaker for a vote scheduled for the first weekend of Italy’s school holidays, at around 35% of around 50 million electors, well below the required quorum.
“Many believe that the referendum institution should be reviewed in light of the high levels of abstention (that) emerged in recent elections and the turnout threshold should be lowered,” said Lorenzo Pregliasco, political analyst and pollster at YouTrend.
Some analysts note, however, that the center-left opposition could claim a victory even if the referendum fails on condition that the turnout surpasses the 12.3 million voters who backed the winning center-right coalition in the 2022 general election.