U.S. Offers Up to $10 Million for Iran’s New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Senior IRGC Officials
The U.S. Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for credible information on Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and senior IRGC-linked officials — with U.S. reporting naming figures such as Ali Asghar Hejazi, Ali Larijani, Yahya Rahim Safavi, Esmail Khatib and Eskandar Momeni — framing the offer as part of counterterrorism efforts against an IRGC accused of using terrorism and killing U.S. citizens. U.S. intelligence circulated to senior officials reportedly concluded the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had doubts about Mojtaba’s suitability, and U.S. officials have suggested the IRGC is effectively in control of Iran while offering conflicting public assessments that Mojtaba may be wounded, disfigured or even dead.
📌 Key Facts
- The U.S. Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for credible information related to Mojtaba Khamenei and senior IRGC officials, framed as a counterterrorism effort to gather intelligence on IRGC-linked activity.
- Fox News explicitly identifies as targets Ali Asghar Hejazi (deputy chief of staff, Supreme Leader’s Office), Ali Larijani (secretary, Supreme National Security Council), Yahya Rahim Safavi (top military adviser), Esmail Khatib (intelligence minister) and Eskandar Momeni (interior minister).
- The State Department frames the reward as aimed at the IRGC leadership, accusing the IRGC of using terrorism as a tool of statecraft and of responsibility for attacks that killed U.S. citizens.
- U.S. intelligence circulated to President Trump and a small group concluded the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had misgivings about his son Mojtaba’s fitness to lead, viewing him as unqualified and 'not very bright,' and was aware of unspecified personal-life issues involving Mojtaba.
- Senior U.S. officials, including Trump and Senator JD Vance, were briefed that the IRGC is effectively calling the shots and that Iran is essentially leaderless; Trump has privately suggested Mojtaba may be dead.
- Public statements include Trump calling Mojtaba a 'lightweight' and an 'unacceptable' leader in a Fox interview, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Mojtaba is 'wounded and likely disfigured,' though his precise condition remains unclear.
📊 Relevant Data
The Supreme Leader of Iran is selected by the Assembly of Experts, a deliberative body consisting of 88 Islamic scholars elected by popular vote, who are responsible for appointing, supervising, and potentially dismissing the Supreme Leader.
How Iran's next supreme leader is chosen — AP News
The succession of Mojtaba Khamenei represents the first father-to-son transfer of the Supreme Leader position in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which explicitly overthrew a hereditary monarchy, potentially sparking criticism for resembling dynastic rule.
How succession works in Iran — KCRA
Mojtaba Khamenei does not hold the formal rank of ayatollah, having studied in Qom seminaries under conservative scholars but lacking the highest clerical credentials typically expected for the Supreme Leader role.
From shadow to power: who is Mojtaba Khamenei? — Iran International
Since the 12-day war in 2026, Iran has intensified crackdowns on ethnic and religious minorities, with groups like Kurds and Baluchis facing disproportionate repression in peripheral regions, exacerbating center-periphery inequalities amid economic collapse.
Punishing Vulnerability: Iran's Minority Crackdown After the 12-Day War — Newlines Institute
US sanctions have contributed to a drop in Iran's GDP per capita from $8,000 in 2012 to $5,000 in 2024, driving high inflation and emigration, particularly among urban professionals and the middle class, with poverty rates rising disproportionately in urban areas.
How US sanctions and external threats destroyed Iran's economy — Middle East Eye
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- U.S. intelligence circulated to President Trump and a small circle concludes the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had misgivings about his son Mojtaba becoming supreme leader, viewing him as not very bright and unqualified.
- The same intelligence indicates Ali Khamenei was aware of unspecified personal-life issues involving Mojtaba.
- Trump, JD Vance and other senior officials have been briefed that the White House now believes the IRGC is effectively calling the shots and that Iran is essentially leaderless, with Trump privately saying Mojtaba may be dead.
- In a Fox News interview Friday, Trump publicly hinted that Mojtaba was not the successor his father wanted, and has called him a “lightweight” and an “unacceptable” leader for Iran.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that Mojtaba Khamenei is “wounded and likely disfigured,” though his precise condition is unclear.
- Fox explicitly names Ali Asghar Hejazi as deputy chief of staff for the Supreme Leader’s Office, Ali Larijani as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Yahya Rahim Safavi as a top military adviser, Esmail Khatib as intelligence minister, and Eskandar Momeni as interior minister, confirming them as specific targets of the reward.
- The article reiterates that the reward is framed as an effort to gather intelligence on the IRGC and its leadership, which the State Department accuses of using terrorism as a tool of statecraft and being responsible for attacks that killed U.S. citizens.
- It emphasizes that Rewards for Justice will pay up to $10 million for credible information related to these figures and IRGC-linked terrorist activity, underscoring the counterterrorism legal basis of the offer.