Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Tehran on February 28 as a result of a joint US-Israeli airstrike. Khamenei had led Iran since 1989, and a period of mourning has been declared in the country following his death.
Along with Khamenei, other members of Iran's supreme leadership were also killed. On February 28, Mohammad Pakpour, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Ali Shamkhani, Khamenei's advisor and secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, were also eliminated.
Under the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has become what we know today: a closed, militarized country that harshly and cruelly suppresses dissent.
Iranian officials have announced that a new leader will be elected for the country as soon as possible.
So, who will succeed Khamenei?
A few hours after the official announcement of the deaths of Khamenei, Pakpour, and Shamkhani, it was announced that Iran would be temporarily governed by a council consisting of President Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, and a representative of the Guardian Council.
Modern.az reports that the new supreme leader in Iran will be chosen by the Assembly of Experts, consisting of 88 clerics.
The Assembly of Experts is a constitutional p of the Islamic Republic of Iran that elects the supreme leader, monitors his actions, and can remove him from office if necessary.
According to the Iranian constitution, a successor must be chosen as soon as possible. Ali Khamenei himself was appointed on the day his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, passed away.
According to foreign media, convening the entire Assembly of Experts quickly may be difficult for security reasons, at a time when Iran continues to be subjected to attacks by the US and Israel.
The Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently chaired by 95-year-old Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani.
Since Khamenei did not officially announce the name of a possible successor, it is unknown who will take his place.
Foreign experts and analysts have revealed the names of five potential candidates.
The first candidate is Ali Khamenei's second son, 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei – Mojtaba is believed to have had significant influence even during his father's lifetime and strong ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated “Basij” paramilitary force. However, local tradition is against Mojtaba: the transfer of power from father to son is frowned upon by Shia Muslim clerics. There is an additional obstacle: Mojtaba holds neither an official position nor is he a high-ranking cleric.
The second possible candidate is 67-year-old Alireza Arafi – less known than Mojtaba Khamenei, Alireza Arafi is considered a trusted confidant of Khamenei. He currently serves as the deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, which will appoint the country's new leader, and is a member of the Guardian Council, which vets electoral candidates and laws passed by parliament. He also heads Iran's system of religious seminaries. However, Arafi has little political influence and no close ties with security forces.
The third candidate is Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, approximately 60 years old. Foreign media and analysts describe him as a radical cleric; he is also represented in the Assembly of Experts, where he represents the most conservative wing of the clerics. According to some Iranian media outlets, Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri holds extremely harsh anti-Western views and believes that conflict between believers and infidels is inevitable. He currently heads the Academy of Islamic Sciences in Qom, a major Shia institution in northern Iran.
The fourth candidate is Hassan Khomeini, approximately 50 years old. Hassan Khomeini is the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. According to experts, he has not held state positions and therefore has little influence over Iran's security forces or ruling elite. Hassan Khomeini is considered a less radical figure than many others in Iran.
Finally, the fifth candidate is Hashem Hosseini Boushehri, approximately 70 years old7. He is a high-ranking cleric with close ties to the Assembly of Experts and serves as the first deputy chairman. Although Boushehri is said to be close to Khamenei, he does not hold any high position in power and is not known to have close ties with the IRGC.
A. Gafarli
