Khamenei was publicly identified as the supreme leader late on Sunday night, after nearly a week of delayed and disrupted proceedings by the Assembly of Experts. Islamic Revolutionary Guard

The second son of the late supreme leader keeps a low profile. But he's long been viewed as wielding his power behind the scenes, from crushing dissent to influencing presidential elections.

Mojtaba Khamenei, a mid-ranking cleric with influence inside Iran's security forces, had been seen as a frontrunner leading up to the assembly's vote.