TEHRAN, Iran — The perhaps most prominent of the grandsons of the founder of the Islamic Republic has lately adopted a new demeanor on the Iranian political stage. Although he is generally viewed as close to the Reformist camp, he has lately been sending signals that hint at his interest in the rival Principlist tent.

Seyyed Hassan Khomeini is widely seen as a protector of the legacy of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Although he has never run for elected office, he has generally supported Reformist candidates in their campaigns and has thus been the target of attacks from Principlists. However, this seems to have changed following the January death of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. 

Khomeini had registered as a candidate for the February 2016 Assembly of Experts elections, but was disqualified from running by the Guardian Council the month before the vote. The reaction of Principlist media to the disqualification was quite supportive and welcoming. Meanwhile, Rafsanjani had much criticism for the Guardian Council. On Feb. 1, 2016, Rafsanjani — who then served as chairman of the Expediency Council — harshly addressed the Guardian Council, saying, “You do not approve the eligibility [to run for office] of someone who is most like his ancestor, Imam Khomeini? Who has given you the right to judge [on this matter]?”

The Reformists were also very angry about the disqualification of Khomeini. At that point in time, they were trying hard to link Hassan Khomeini to the triumvirate of former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005), ex-President Rafsanjani (1989-1997) and incumbent President Hassan Rouhani (2013-). Khomeini himself was quite supportive of this plan, and this contributed to his popularity in Reformist circles. But there is evidently more to this story. Having acted within these confines until Rafsanjani’s death, Khomeini has grown to become a different actor on the Iranian political stage, regardless of the very close ties between Khomeini and Rafsanjani.