Jackie Northam

He's the 56-year-old son of the former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike at the start of the war.

The younger Khamenei is considered a hardliner who was closely associated with a violent crackdown on protesters during the 2009 so-called Green Revolution.

Khamenei is close with the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

It has pledged its support for the new supreme leader.

Pro-regime state TV showed images of large crowds celebrating the news.

Last week, President Trump said Khamenei was a lightweight and an unacceptable choice to lead Iran.

Israel has vowed to target him.

Jackie Northam, NPR News.

Well, there are four main frontrunners that the 88-member panel of clerics will consider.

And the panel is having to meet virtually because the Israelis bombed the building where they were supposed to meet.

Anyway, there's quite a mix.

There are basically two main routes they can take.

First, the non-dynastic route, we can call it, with Ali Reza Arafi, and he's a cleric, very prominent in Iran's religious establishment and considered a hardliner.

There's also Hassan Rouhani, a moderate and former president of Iran, and

Then we have the family route where there is Hassan Khomeini, who's the grandson of the founding father of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini, and he's seen as a relative moderate.

Finally, Michelle, there's Mojtaba Khamenei, and he is the 56-year-old son of Ayatollah Khamenei, and he's considered the leading contender to become Iran's next supreme leader.

So tell us more about him, if you would.

Mojtaba Khamenei has been described to me as kind of an unknown quantity, someone in the background.

He is considered a hardliner who's closely associated with a violent crackdown on protesters in Iran in 2009.

Now, Mojtaba has important connections.