After Khamenei, who rules Iran?

After Khamenei, who rules Iran? on x (opens in a new window) After Khamenei, who rules Iran? on facebook (opens in a new window) After Khamenei, who rules Iran? on linkedin (opens in a new window) After Khamenei, who rules Iran? on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save After Khamenei, who rules Iran? on x (opens in a new window) After Khamenei, who rules Iran? on facebook (opens in a new window) After Khamenei, who rules Iran? on linkedin (opens in a new window) After Khamenei, who rules Iran? on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran and Andrew England in London Published March 1 2026 Jump to comments section Print this page Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Hours after Iran confirmed the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the man who had personified the Islamic republic for nearly four decades, senior leaders assumed to be in hiding appeared one by one on state television in a bid to project continuity and defiance. Top political and military figures insisted the succession process for a new supreme leader would be conducted as laid out by the constitution, with a three-man interim council providing leadership during a transition period. Iran ’s top security official Ali Larijani, making his first appearance since the US and Israel launched the war, said the interim leadership council — a trio of top officials overseeing the transition — was scheduled to convene that day. Later Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Sunday that the state institutions were functioning so smoothly that the “constitutional procedures” may be completed soon. “You may see the selection of a supreme leader in a day or two,” said Araghchi. The message the regime was desperate to send, both to Iranians and its enemies, was that despite the loss of Khamenei, the Islamic republic would live on. There was a clear path forward under law and Iran had time to ...