A senior Iranian cleric has issued a religious decree acknowledging Mojtaba Khamenei as an Islamic jurist, in what is seen as a significant sign of support from within Iran’s Shiite religious establishment, The Caspian Post reports, citing Mehr.

In a fatwa, Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani declared that Mojtaba Khamenei possesses the status of a faqih - an Islamic legal scholar qualified to interpret and apply religious law.

The ruling further authorises followers to direct religious donations to Mojtaba Khamenei. These financial contributions are commonly allocated to the funding of seminaries and the education of students studying Islamic theology.