U.S. intelligence told Trump, "Mojtaba is not very smart"

[Financial News] U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly briefed President Donald Trump that the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei had expressed deep concern during his lifetime about the prospect of his son Mojtaba Khamenei inheriting power.
On the 15th local time, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in the United States reported this, citing officials from the Trump administration and intelligence agencies.
According to sources, the former Supreme Leader Khamenei was wary of installing his second son Mojtaba as his successor. U.S. intelligence agencies internally assessed that he was "not smart" and "unfit to be a leader."
Khamenei was also aware that his son had problems in his personal life, and he believed these issues could be fatal for someone serving as the country’s leader, the sources said.
In an interview with Fox News on the 13th, President Trump bluntly remarked, "Mojtaba is someone whom even his own father did not want as a leader."
U.S. intelligence agencies and President Trump thus regard Mojtaba as falling short of what is required to lead Iran, effectively labeling him an underqualified figure.
President Trump currently views the situation in Iran as a de facto "state of anarchy" or a "leadership vacuum."
The White House believes that real power in Iran is now exercised not by the religious leadership but by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
This suggests that Iran’s theocratic system has become far more fragile than before, and the United States is expected to exploit this opening to further intensify pressure on Tehran.
The Kuwaiti daily Al-Jarida, citing sources, reported that Mojtaba had been flown to Moscow on a military transport plane to undergo surgery.
The sources said Mojtaba successfully underwent surgery at one of the Kremlin’s presidential facilities in Russia.
Rumors had circulated about Mojtaba’s condition, ranging from a broken foot and facial lacerations to a leg amputation or being in critical condition.
Reports say Mojtaba was hit in the same airstrike as his father, former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, losing his wife, parents, and son, and that he himself was pulled from a collapsed bunker with severe injuries.
The paper reported that, because Iranian hospitals were unable to function normally due to the airstrikes, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Mojtaba medical treatment.
Al-Jarida and other foreign outlets also reported that Mojtaba’s first statement after being elevated to Supreme Leader last week was likely drafted by security chief Ali Larijani, suggesting fissures within Iran’s leadership.
If Mojtaba is indeed receiving treatment in Russia as reported, foreign media say it would indicate that the command structure in Tehran has collapsed and that a fragmented Iranian military is effectively ruling the country.
In particular, there is growing suspicion over who actually controls the powerful IRGC. Observers warn that even if the United States and Israel seek negotiations with Iran, there may be no clear counterpart, raising fears that the war could be prolonged by a leadership vacuum.


jjyoon@fnnews.com Yoon Jae-joon Reporter