The New Ayatollah: Absent, Mute, and Now Winning?

By Sue Kientz

After the United States and Israel began bombing Iran on 28 February 2026, barely five weeks ago, it was soon revealed that Iran’s longtime ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a strike. (1) Since then, observers have been anxious to see his successor, eventually announced to be the deceased leader’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, (2) so as to determine what kind of religious autocrat Iran had inherited. The world was still waiting for that moment when Iran and U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday evening, April 7, a mere 90 minutes before Trump’s threat to annihilate Iran’s “entire civilization” was expected to be triggered. (3)

Since his selection as Iran’s supreme leader, news about Mojtaba Khamenei has been scant, with some reporting him to be injured, while others – including Trump – have surmised he is dead. (4) Over the weekend some reports described him to be in serious condition, unconscious and unable to govern, but with no further details. (5) But soon after the ceasefire was accepted on Tuesday night, Axios reported that the new Ayatollah had surfaced as early as Monday, through his negotiators, and had been instrumental in approving hastily renegotiated terms of the ceasefire by Tuesday before the all-important deadline. (6) The article explained that due to the threat of assassination, he had been carefully ensconced, communicating via notes passed by runners.

This incredible development seems straight out of the dreams of a Hollywood script writer, and yet, there was much about Khamenei’s sudden reappearance and critical participation that led to avoiding Trump’s promised armageddon, that jived with what can be gleaned about the new Ayatollah via his astrology chart. That was one reason to keep tabs on any updates, as this Ayatollah Khamenei looked to be someone that, even as he lost most of this family in the initial strikes of February 28 and could very likely have been injured at that time, presented many indicators of someone fortunate, effective, and successful.

Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei was born 9 September 1969, (7) with Sun (15 Virgo) conjunct (0 degrees; power, has ability) dwarf planet Haumea (8 Virgo), (8) the latter indicating Khamenei would experience vast, disruptive changes in his life. On a personal level, he lost his wife and two children, as well as his father, in the initial attack of the war. Now as supreme leader of Iran, he wields the power to confront and potentially resolve the terrible quandary his country now suffers. Khomenei’s Sun is also trine (120 degrees; ability to easily express) Saturn (8 Taurus), another plus for someone in charge, as Saturn signals one is down-to-earth, calm, and thoughtful in manner and deliberation. By the same token, his Sun is square (90 degrees; troublesome unless work or effort employed) Mars (22 Sagittarius), which means he has energy and drive (both Mars traits) that can enliven all that Saturn-seriousness, if he has worked on taming anger and impatience. Another formidable dwarf planet, Sedna (1 Taurus) (9) is sesquiquadrate (135 degrees; slightly troublesome, more irritant) his Sun. Sedna can symbolize hopelessness but also persistence, and therefore a dose of Sedna in his personality mix could be what holds someone in his precarious position together, to be calm yet actively engaged, while managing the disastrous conditions in Iran and persevering to find a way out.

His Mercury (11 Libra) is sextile (60 degrees; supportive) Venus (11 Leo), a veritable boon for someone responsible for communicating and negotiating, as his thinking and speaking (Mercury) tend to be considerate of those he interacts with (Venus represents care, thoughtful behavior, right relations). Mercury is also conjunct Jupiter (9 Libra) and Uranus (3 Libra), suggesting learning (Uranus) and geniality (Jupiter), and Mercury is semisquare (45 degrees, slightly problematic) Neptune (26 Scorpio), likely representing the commitment to his Islamic faith.

The above describes the bedrock personality of the new Ayatollah, but one needs to frame him in this time of upset and the tumultuous demands of war, which means looking at the planets where they are today and relating them to his birth positions. Khamenei’s Sun is conjunct dwarf planet Orcus (16 Virgo), representative of custom, order, law, and ritual. (10) We already know the Iranians are asking to be paid back for all the damages the war has caused, and such reparations are Orcus in nature. At the same time, Jupiter (16 Cancer) is sextile his Sun, indicating he might see this difficult situation as an opportunity (Jupiter) for him and his people. How exactly he will take advantage of any opportunity that arises, we will have to see. Now that the new Supreme Leader Khamenei has come out of the shadows, we might expect him to be very clear and forthcoming in his communication with his adversaries, as another large dwarf planet, Makemake (11 Libra) (11) is exactly conjunct Khamenei’s Mercury, suggesting that he will have (or receive) very surprising, perhaps even shocking ideas and counter suggestions as further details of the ceasefire and any other agreements going forward take shape. Makemake represents someone who can seem crazy or perhaps misunderstood since far ahead of their time; perhaps this could describe Khamenei’s experience dealing with Trump and his intermediaries. He might certainly feel it strange and ironic to deal with adversaries who say they are “winning,” when they must negotiate over keeping open the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before this war of choice was begun. (12)

Title Image credit: Author described image to ChatGPT

Notes and References

1. Estrin, D., et al, “Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed,” 28 February 2026, NPR, https://www.npr.org/2026/02/28/nx-s1-5730158/israel-iran-strikes-trump-us
2. NPR Staff, “Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader,” 8 March 2026, NPR, https://www.npr.org/2026/03/08/nx-s1-5741654/israel-iran-oil-ayatollah-successor  
3. Erickson, B., et al, “Trump, on Easter, threatens ‘hell’ on Iran’s infrastructure if Strait remains blocked,” 5 April 2026, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-says-us-will-target-irans-infrastructure-tuesday-2026-04-05/
4. Weiniger, Gabrielle, “Iran’s supreme leader ‘unconscious and receiving treatment in Qom’,” 6 April 2026, The Times, https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/israel-iran/article/iran-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-qom-war-latest-c2th5xgqb
5. “Trump says he doesn’t know if Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is dead or not,” 16 March 2026, CBS News, https://youtube.com/watch?v=MZ0XiapPLX8
6. Ravid, B., et al, “Exclusive: How Iran’s supreme leader reached a truce with Trump,” 7 April 2026, Axios, https://www.axios.com/2026/04/08/exclusive-how-irans-supreme-leader-reached-a-truce-with-trump
7. Khomenei, Mojtaba, 8 September 1969, Mashhad, Iran, 7 a.m. used, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojtaba_Khamenei
8. Haumea is the third-largest planetary body in the Kuiper Belt, after Pluto (largest) and Eris (second-largest). For more on Haumea, see Pluto and Haumea: Having Power, and Using that Power, eNews newsletter of the National Council for Geocosmic Research, Inc. (NCGR), Issue 215, June 30, 2015
9. Kientz, S., “Treasure from the Depths,” the Sedna chapter from More Plutos that appeared in The Mountain Astrologer, Feb./March 2015 issue, pp 63-70; https://moreplutos.com/articles/Sedna-SueKientz_MtAstrol-Feb-Mar2015.pdf
10. See Orcus keywords and examples of historical figures at “Dwarf Planet Basics,” 6 November 2024, Astrology News Service, https://astrologynewsservice.com/articles/dwarf-planet-basics/
11. Makemake is the fourth-largest planetary body in the Kuiper Belt. Read more at Watch out, it’s Makemake!, the Makemake chapter from More Plutos that appeared in the Astrological Journal, Nov./Dec. 2014 issue
12. Nakhoul, Samia, “As Trump claims victory, Iran emerges bruised but powerful with leverage over Hormuz,” 8 April 2026, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-claims-victory-iran-emerges-bruised-powerful-with-leverage-over-hormuz-2026-04-08/

For more details about the angles or relationships between planets, see Lynne Hyde’s “Astrology Basics,” 12 November 2024, ANS, https://astrologynewsservice.com/articles/astrology-basics/