Mohammad Mokhber, aged 68, is poised to assume the role of Iran’s interim president following the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of Ebrahim Raisi, as per Iran’s constitutional protocol. Mokhber, currently serving as the first vice president, will join a three-person council, alongside the speaker of parliament and the head of the judiciary, tasked with organizing a new presidential election within 50 days.
Born on September 1, 1955, Mokhber shares a close affiliation with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, akin to his predecessor Raisi. He ascended to the position of first vice president in 2021 upon Raisi’s presidency.
Mokhber’s involvement in diplomatic affairs was evident in his participation in a delegation to Moscow in October, where agreements were reached to bolster Russia’s military capabilities with surface-to-surface missiles and additional drones, according to Reuters sources. Notably, this delegation included high-ranking officials from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the Supreme National Security Council.
Previously, Mokhber helmed Setad, an investment fund associated with the supreme leader. He faced international scrutiny, with the European Union sanctioning him in 2010 for alleged ties to “nuclear or ballistic missile activities,” a designation lifted two years later. Similarly, in 2013, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Setad and its 37 affiliated companies.
Established under a decree by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the predecessor of Supreme Leader Khamenei, Setad, officially known as Setad Ejraiye Farmane Hazrate Emam, was tasked with managing and selling properties abandoned in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with proceeds directed toward charitable causes.
