Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death following joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes has thrust Iran’s leadership into the urgent process of selecting a new supreme leader.
Under Iran’s constitution, the supreme leader is appointed by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body elected by the public every eight years. Candidates for the Assembly are first vetted by the Guardian Council, tightly controlling who can run.
When the position becomes vacant, the Assembly convenes to deliberate and select a successor. The decision requires a simple majority vote.
In the interim, a provisional three-member leadership council assumes the supreme leader’s duties until a replacement is formally appointed.
On Sunday, local media reported that the temporary council comprises President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, who serves as the Guardian Council’s representative.
