Iran 'names Ali Khamenei's hardliner son as new Ayatollah - but country now faces US-backed civil war'

Despite never holding a formal position within his father's regime, it is widely believed he holds significant influence within the Islamic Republic's political and security spheres.

He was also named by insiders as a potential target for a US strike in the days leading up to the war.

According to Iran International, he was chosen by the Assembly after the group held two virtual meetings to decide on succession plans - after Israel bombed their planned meeting site in the city of Qum.

However, he could be faced with a bloody civil war within days after reports emerged that a CIA-backed fighting force within Iran could launch an armed uprising inside the country.

Weapons have allegedly been smuggled into the country since last year's 12-day war to arm thousands of Kurdish volunteers, with the Trump administration said to have engaged in talks with leaders to discuss military support.

The Kurdish people are one of Iran's largest ethnic minorities, with an estimated population between nine and 10 million.

Alex Plitsas, a former Pentagon official under Barack Obama, told CNN: "The Iranian people are generally unarmed as a whole and unless the security services collapse, it’ll be difficult for them to take over unless someone arms them.

"I believe the US is hopeful that this will inspire others on the ground in Iran to do the same."

Although the son of the late Ayatollah is widely expected to be unveiled as the new Supreme Leader, it has been reported that Tehran may be too fearful to formally announce it over fears it may expose him as a target.

But the 56-year-old cleric is no stranger to the US intelligence service.

According to a bombshell leaked document revealed by the Daily Mail, he spent months in private British hospitals being treated for impotency.

The classified memo, sent by the State Department to the US Embassy in London in 2008, noted that the late Ayatollah's second-eldest child was under pressure from his family to provide heirs.

It details that the widely-rumoured new Supreme Leader visited London for treatment on four occasions, including a two-month stint in the capital.

He married later in life "reportedly due to an impotency problem treated and eventually resolved during three extended visits to the UK", US intelligence uncovered by WikiLeaks noted, according to the Mail.

The document reads: "Mojtaba was expected by his family to produce children quickly, but needed a fourth visit to the UK for medical treatment.

"After a stay of two months, his wife became pregnant. Back in Iran, a healthy boy was born, named Ali for his paternal grandfather."

In January, a Bloomberg investigation linked the 56-year-old to an offshore financial network that holds and moves assets outside of the Islamic Republic.

The holdings detailed in the investigation included high-value real estate in London and Dubai - but many of the assets have said to have been sold or restructured following the outlet's investigation.

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