By Ghazali Ibrahim
Iran is preparing to announce a new Supreme Leader, the country’s highest political and religious authority, following the death of long-time leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid escalating US-Israel war with Iran.
Reports on Sunday indicate that Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the powerful clerical body responsible for selecting the supreme leader, has reached a consensus on a successor, though the name has not yet been publicly disclosed.
The leadership transition comes after Khamenei who ruled Iran for more than three decades was killed during a U.S.–Israeli strike at the end of February, an event that triggered a period of national mourning and heightened tensions across the Middle East.
Under Iran’s constitution, the Assembly of Experts, made up of 88 senior clerics, must select a new supreme leader when the position becomes vacant.
Until a successor is confirmed, a temporary Interim Leadership Council composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, and cleric Alireza Arafi has been overseeing state affairs.
Although no official announcement has been made, several figures have been widely mentioned as potential successors.
Among them is Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late leader, who has long wielded influence behind the scenes and is seen as a leading contender backed by elements of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Other names that have surfaced include senior clerics such as Alireza Arafi, Mohammad-Mehdi Mirbagheri, Hassan Khomeini, and former officials like Ali Larijani, though the final choice rests solely with the Assembly of Experts.
