Mojtaba Khamenei has been named Iran’s new supreme leader and successor to his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war with the US and Iran.
Some establishment crowds have taken to the streets to celebrate the appointment of a hardliner close to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
But other Iranians have told the BBC they believe it will not bring about change.
“There is no longer the slightest possibility of change within the system,” said a 30-year-old man in the capital Tehran.
He said the Assembly of Experts – an 88-member religious body that elects the supreme leader – cannot elect anyone close to Ali Khamenei.
“So, everything will remain pretty much the same; they don’t even need to change their slogans to support [the new leader],” he added.
For years, rumors have swirled that Mojtaba Khamenei has wielded considerable influence behind the scenes in Iran.
Many expect him to continue his father’s hardline policies.
A 20-year-old woman in Tehran said she believes Mojtaba Khamenei will be “more oppressive than his father.”
“I really hope they [the senior officials] end up in war, otherwise if we are under his rule, we will all die.”
Another 30-year-old Tehran resident said: “He is vengeful. They killed his father and he will not let him go.
“If he cannot take revenge on the United States, he will take revenge on our ordinary people. I hope Israel and the United States will target him.”
One woman said: “We are very happy. Thank you to the Assembly of Experts. God’s hand is protecting us. Khamenei is still our leader.”
Another woman said: “It couldn’t have been better.” Our hearts were warmed.”
The 56-year-old cleric had largely remained in hiding during his father’s reign, but there have long been rumors about his influence as a gatekeeper to the late supreme leader.
In late 2000, US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks described him as the “power behind the curtain” of the regime, widely considered a “competent and powerful leader.”
In addition to being close to the IRGC, he is accused of interfering in presidential elections and leading the paramilitary Basij force.
A 40-year-old woman in Tehran said she believed Mojtaba Khamenei was “worse than his father.”
“If he were alive, I think the US and Israel would target him.”
Before the leader was elected on Sunday, “everyone was chanting slogans against Mojtaba,” he said, adding: “No one except supporters of this regime accepts him.”
Supporters gathered in Tehran’s Engelab Square on Monday, with Iranian state TV broadcasting the huge crowd to take their oath of allegiance to their new leader on Sunday.
People held up pictures of Mojtaba Khamenei and his father and waved flags while honking car horns.
“Now we are sure that the path will continue with his leadership,” one woman said, describing her “overwhelming joy” that Mojtaba Khamenei was “just like his father.”
“Of all the possible candidates, he was the most qualified and the one most similar [to the former leader].”
In Karaj, a city near Tehran, a resident said he had not heard much about Mojtaba Khamenei before his appointment.
“Now it will be clear whether Trump has made a deal with them.” “They should target him,” said the man in his twenties.
Another person said he believed “this means nothing will change.”
“It’s the same path, maybe worse,” he added. “I don’t think he will survive.”
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said he wanted to play a role in choosing Iran’s new supreme leader and that Mojtaba Khamenei was “unacceptable.”
And just hours before the appointment was announced, Trump said That, without his approval, whoever takes over “will not last long”.
Israel also issued a warning before confirming Ali Khamenei’s son as the new leader, saying it would “continue to pursue every successor”.
