Iran split: state media spotlight Mojtaba backers while netizens dread crackdown

Around noon, while airstrikes pounded several districts of the capital, sizable crowds gathered in Tehran’s well‑known Enghelab Square, shouting loyalty to Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader.

Holding banners that displayed the portrait of the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, demonstrators on Monday also unveiled a fresh image – that of his son and designated successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Similar footage aired on state channels showed pledges of fidelity from numerous cities nationwide, with chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” echoing as security forces observed.

The scenes starkly contrasted with those nine days earlier, when Iranians flooded the streets to celebrate the joint U.S.–Israeli strike that killed Ali Khamenei. Many within the country hold the late cleric responsible for three decades of oppression, including the mass killings of protesters during brutal crackdowns on anti‑government demonstrations.

Just hours before Sunday night’s announcement of the new leader, videos circulating on social media appeared to capture Tehran residents shouting “Death to Mojtaba.”

Although the regime’s internet blackout, imposed on the first day of the conflict, persists, some Iranians have managed to send messages abroad.

“People are now waiting to see whether Trump will eliminate him, since he said he would kill the next leader if he didn’t like him,” said Nima, 21, a student from Khamenei’s hometown of Mashhad.

Mojtaba, 56, has maintained a low profile but maintains close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and has been accused of heading the IRGC’s feared volunteer militia, the Basij. A discreet figure who rarely appears publicly, Mojtaba has yet to address the nation.

“He is known for one thing,” Nima added, describing him as “much more hard‑line than his father, because of his strong connections to the Basij and the IRGC. Those security bodies are largely under Mojtaba’s control.”

State media reported that the 28 February strike that killed his father, who ruled for 37 years, also claimed several other family members, including Mojtaba’s wife and son. Rumors suggest the new supreme leader may have been wounded himself.

Now, Nima says, “the climate in Iran will become more repressive and security‑driven under him,” adding, “if he survives.”

A nationwide crackdown has continued despite the war. The country’s prosecutor general warned Iranians abroad that any activity deemed cooperation with the U.S. or Israel could result in property seizure and execution.

Another anti‑government activist, Farzad, 26, from western Tehran, said security forces have been patrolling the streets, chanting “God is great,” for the past 24 hours.

“They seem to be on steroids because the death of Khamenei and members of his family has really enraged them,” he said. “He lost his family and will surely hold protesters responsible for this war.”