Inside Iran's succession process and who could be the country's next supreme leader
#Iran #Supreme Leader #Ayatollah Ali Khamenei #Succession #Assembly of Experts #Mojtaba Khamenei #President #Judiciary #Guardian Council #Revolutionary Guard #Israel #Middle East
📌 Key Takeaways
- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran for 37 years, has died.
- A temporary leadership council consisting of the president, judiciary chief, and a Guardian Council member has been formed to govern Iran.
- The Assembly of Experts, a panel of clerics, will choose the new supreme leader.
- Mojtaba Khamenei, Ayatollah Khamenei's son, is considered a potential candidate for supreme leader.
- The supreme leader holds ultimate authority in Iran, commanding the military and the Revolutionary Guard.
- This succession occurs after a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025.
📖 Full Retelling
The death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after almost 37 years in power raises paramount questions about Iran's future. Following his death, a temporary leadership council has been formed comprising the president, judiciary chief, and a Guardian Council member to govern. Subsequently, the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member panel of clerics, will select a new supreme leader under Iranian law. While Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, is considered a potential candidate, this father-to-son succession could be controversial. The supreme leader holds ultimate authority in Iran's theocracy, commanding the military and the powerful Revolutionary Guard, and overseeing all state affairs. This transition occurs after a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025.
🏷️ Themes
Succession, Politics, Iran, Religious Leadership, Power Dynamics, Middle East Conflict
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By — Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Inside Iran's succession process and who could be the country's next supreme leader World Mar 1, 2026 12:43 PM EST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after almost 37 years in power raises paramount questions about Iran's future. WATCH: War with Iran | PBS News Special Report The contours of a complex succession process began to take shape the morning after Khamenei's killing in an airstrike campaign by the United States and Israel. Here is what to know: Temporary leadership council As outlined in its constitution, Iran on Sunday formed a council to assume leadership duties and govern the country. The council is made up of Iran's sitting president, the head of the country's judiciary and a member of the Guardian Council chosen by Iran's Expediency Council, which advises the supreme leader and settles disputes with parliament. READ MORE: Iran vows revenge after the killing of its supreme leader and trades strikes with Israel in widening war Iran's reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, are its members who will step in and "temporarily assume all the duties of leadership." Panel of clerics Though the leadership council will govern in the interim, an 88-member panel called the Assembly of Experts "must, as soon as possible" pick a new supreme leader under Iranian law. The panel consists entirely of Shiite clerics who are popularly elected every eight years and whose candidacies are approved by the Guardian Council, Iran's constitutional watchdog. READ MORE: Trump says Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes That body is known for disqualifying candidates in various elections in Iran and the Assembly of Experts is no different. The Guardian Council barred for...
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