New Supreme Leader May Be Chosen Within Days in Iran

Iran Begins Succession Process Following Ayatollah Khamenei’s Death

Tehran has begun a 40-day mourning period following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli strikes, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirming that the constitutional machinery of succession is underway. The transition council, comprising the president, head of the judiciary, and a jurist from the Guardian Council, has been established to oversee the leadership transition.

Araghchi stated that the council will act as the interim leadership before a new supreme leader is elected, with the process potentially taking place within one or two days. President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed that the council has begun its work in a prerecorded address aired on Iranian state television.

Ayatollah Khamenei was assassinated on Saturday in a wave of US-Israeli strikes across the country, resulting in at least 201 deaths, including senior security figures and members of his family. The process for choosing Khamenei’s replacement is enshrined in Iran’s constitution, which involves a clerical assembly of 88 members elected by the public.

Araghchi described the killing as “absolutely unprecedented” and warned that it had made the conflict “even more dangerous and more complicated”. He also stated that Khamenei was not only Iran’s political leader but also a high-ranking religious leader for millions of Muslims across the region.

Iran has been exchanging fire with Israel and the US, with strikes reported in Dubai, Doha, Manama, and the Omani port of Duqm. Araghchi emphasized that there is no victory in this war, and that the US-Israeli strikes had not achieved their targets. He drew a parallel with last June’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran, stating that the US and Israel expected Iran to capitulate but were instead met with resistance.

The Iranian government has declared seven days of public holidays alongside the mourning period, and President Pezeshkian condemned Khamenei’s killing as “a great crime”. The situation remains volatile, with tensions between Iran and its adversaries escalating.

Source: Al Jazeera