Sayyid Hassan Khomeini (Persian: سيد حسن خمينی; born 23 July 1972) is an Iranian cleric.[1] He has been called "the most prominent" grandchild of Ruhollah Khomeini, who had 15 grandchildren in total,[2] and the one "who many think could have a promising political future".[1][3]

Hassan Khomeini
حسن خمينی
Khomeini in 2018
Born (1972-07-23) 23 July 1972 (age 52)
SpouseNeda Bojnourdi
Children4
Parent(s)Ahmad Khomeini
Fatemeh Tabatabai
WebsiteOfficial website
Signature

Early life

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Hassan Khomeini between his grandfather Ruhollah and father Ahmad. His cousin Ali Eshraghi is on the left side

Hassan Khomeini is a grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini.[4] He is the son of Ahmad Khomeini and Fatemeh Tabatabai.[5] He has four children.[6]

Career

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Hassan Khomeini became a cleric in 1993.[3] He was appointed caretaker of the Mausoleum of Khomeini in 1995 where his grandfather and father are buried,[2][3] and has had official meetings with officials such as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.[7] He also teaches in the holy city of Qom, and has published his first book on Islamic sects.

 
Hassan Khomeini with Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

He has been described as having "expressed frustration with some policies of a regime dominated by fundamentalists", such as former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[1] In an interview in February 2008, Khomeini spoke out against military interference in politics.[8] Soon after, in what some observers believe may have been retaliation,[1][2] an article in a publication tied to President Ahmadinejad accused him of corruption,[2] "claiming that he drove a BMW, backed rich politicians and was indifferent to the suffering of the poor".[1]

This was "the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic" that one of Khomeini's offspring was "publicly insulted", according to the Iranian daily newspaper Kargozaran.[2] Khomeini met with reformers before the 2009 election[1] and met with defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi and "supported his call to cancel the election results".[2]

On 9 December 2015, he announced that he would enter politics and run for the Assembly of Experts in the 2016 election.[9][10] His nomination was rejected by the Guardian Council on 10 February 2016.[11]

In June 2020, Iranian media speculated that he would be a presidential candidate in the 2021 election,[11] although he declined to stand on the advice of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Grandchildren of the revolution. Najmeh Bozorgmehr and Roula Khalaf 4 March 2009 Archived 5 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 August 2009
  2. ^ a b c d e f Ali Reza Eshraghi. (20 August 2009). Khamenei vs. Khomeini Archived 21 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 23 August 2009
  3. ^ a b c Helia Ighani; Garrett Nada (31 May 2013). "Khomeini's rebel grandchildren rock the vote". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Iranians blog on election crisis". BBC News. 17 June 2009. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  5. ^ Michael Rubin (17 March 2008). "Iran News Round Up". National Review Online. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Hassan's children". Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  7. ^ Hassan Khomeini Meets Bashar, Nasrallah Archived 18 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Iran Daily, Retrieved 23-August-2009
  8. ^ in the weekly magazine Shahrvand-e-Emrooz, quoted in "Khamenei vs. Khomeini" Ali Reza Eshraghi Archived 21 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine, 20 August 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2009
  9. ^ "Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's grandson to enter Iran politics". Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  10. ^ "Assembly election heats up as Ayatollah Khomeini's grandson indicates he will stand". Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  11. ^ a b Maryam Sinaiee (12 June 2020). "Khomeini's Grandson Possible Presidential Candidate?". Radio Farda. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.

  Media related to Hassan Khomeini at Wikimedia Commons