"In Iran's 88-member Assembly of Experts, the majority vote was given to Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the country's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei".
Modern.az reports that an unnamed member of the Assembly of Experts told the “Pars Today" newspaper.
Previously, the Assembly of Experts had indicated that they had reached a consensus regarding the selection of a new Supreme Leader, but the name of the chosen individual had not been disclosed.
It should be noted that Alam al-Huda, a member of the Assembly of Experts, also told the “Mehr” agency today: “A selection for the leadership position has been made, and a new Supreme Leader has been determined”.
According to him, “in the first hours after the leader's martyrdom, the Assembly of Experts convened, and the majority of members agreed on a single candidate. This candidate was presented to the presidium of the council”.
According to him, all reports claiming that the Assembly of Experts has not yet made a decision are false. Now, the head of the council's secretariat will decide when the successor will be officially announced.
It should be recalled that yesterday, two influential Ayatollahs of Iran demanded the acceleration of the elections for the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Thus, Ayatollahs Makarem Shirazi and Nouri Hamadani emphasized that they expect the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new Supreme Leader to be expedited. They stated that the timely resolution of this important issue will strengthen national authority and improve the overall organization of affairs.
In a message addressed to the members of the Assembly of Experts, the Ayatollahs called for the announcement of the new Supreme Leader's name.
Political analysts say that there are influential figures within Iran's top leadership who oppose Mojtaba Khamenei being declared Supreme Leader. At their head is Ali Asghar Hejazi, an advisor to the Supreme Leader on political affairs and a figure close to structures considered Iran's “deep state”. It is precisely due to Hejazi's open objection that this matter is prolonged, and the announcement of the new Supreme Leader's name has been postponed. Hejazi is the former deputy intelligence minister.
According to the Iranian Constitution, the 88-member Assembly of Experts has the authority to elect the country's Supreme Leader. Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 37 years, was killed on February 28 during a US-Israeli airstrike on Tehran.
The Israel Defense Forces also commented on this process, stating that they would search for the new Supreme Leader.
A.Qorxmaz
