Iran After Succession: Power, Access, and Institutional Rebalancing under Mojtaba Khamenei

<jats:p>This policy brief examines Iran’s post-succession order under Mojtaba Khamenei as a contested institutional rebalancing rather than a simple hard-line or military takeover. It argues that Mojtaba’s limited public visibility and wartime delegation have increased the political importance of access, gatekeeping, information flow, institutional control, and security coordination. The brief analyzes how the August 9–10 reshuffle reorganizes power interfaces among the Supreme Leader’s office, SNSC, General Staff, Khatam al-Anbiya, IRGC, Basij, and the elected executive. It concludes that Iran’s central post-succession question is whether wartime authority will be recentralized under the Supreme Leader or institutionalized into a more security-centered political order.</jats:p>