Jaber Rajabi

Jaber Rajabi is an Iranian political figure, former foreign-policy adviser to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and former figure in Iran-backed militia networks in Iraq. He has been described by The Jerusalem Post as a former go-between for regime-backed militias in Iraq, and by Sky News Arabia as a defector from the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Rajabi has been described as a former coordinator between Tehran-backed Iraqi factions and as a founding member of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba. After breaking with the Islamic Republic's regional network, he became a public critic of the IRGC's role inside Iran and across the Middle East, including its support for armed proxies.

Rajabi has also drawn attention for his criticism of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ali Khamenei, who became Supreme Leader of Iran in 2026. Rajabi says he knew Mojtaba Khamenei from religious study in Qom, and in 2026 described him to The Jerusalem Post as more dangerous than his father. He was born into a family connected to the Islamic Republic. According to The Jerusalem Post, his father fought in the Iran–Iraq War, and his mother worked for a short period in the office of Ali Khamenei. In later interviews, Rajabi said the poisoning caused long-term injuries.

In a 2024 article for The Washington Institute, Rajabi argued that the killing of Qasem Soleimani on 3 January 2020 in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport weakened the personal networks through which the Quds Force had managed allied militias. He argued that Soleimani's successor, Esmail Qaani, lacked Soleimani's personal authority and relationships with militia leaders.

In 2026, The Atlantic described Rajabi as a former insider who believed the Islamic Republic was vulnerable from within and that parts of the state could be neutralized without a full collapse into chaos.

Views on Mojtaba Khamenei

Rajabi has received particular attention for his comments on Mojtaba Khamenei. He says he knew Mojtaba Khamenei from their time in religious study in Qom. Rajabi also told The Atlantic that Mojtaba Khamenei was shaped by apocalyptic religious ideas and believed he had a special role in advancing Iran's revolutionary mission.