Iran's Supreme Leader Killed

Why it matters

With Khamenei's death, a provisional council is temporarily assuming the duties of the Supreme Leader. This three-person body consists of Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and a cleric from the Guardian Council. The constitutional responsibility for selecting the next Supreme Leader falls to the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of Islamic scholars. This will only be the second time the Assembly has selected a leader since the 1979 revolution; the first was when it appointed Khamenei himself in 1989. Members of the Assembly are popularly elected to eight-year terms, but all candidates are first vetted by the Guardian Council. Six of the Guardian Council's twelve members are directly appointed by the Supreme Leader, creating a tightly controlled selection process. The Supreme Leader holds ultimate authority in Iran, acting as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The office holder has the final say on all major state matters, including foreign policy, the economy, and the nuclear program. Among the potential successors is Khamenei's second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old cleric. Though he holds no official government position, he is believed to wield significant influence over the IRGC and Basij paramilitary force. A dynastic succession would be controversial and could be viewed by some as un-Islamic. Other names mentioned as possible candidates include Alireza Arafi, a senior cleric on the Guardian Council, and Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Former judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei is also considered a contender.

Key numbers

• Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on Saturday, ending his 34-year rule.
• The country has declared 40 days of national mourning.
• The constitutional responsibility for selecting the next Supreme Leader falls to the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of Islamic scholars.
• This will only be the second time the Assembly has selected a leader since the 1979 revolution; the first was when it appointed Khamenei himself in 1989.

What happens next

• The constitutional responsibility for selecting the next Supreme Leader falls to the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of Islamic scholars.
• This will only be the second time the Assembly has selected a leader since the 1979 revolution; the first was when it appointed Khamenei himself in 1989.
• A dynastic succession would be controversial and could be viewed by some as un-Islamic.

Sources

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• With Khamenei's death
• This three-person body
• The constitutional responsibility
• This will only be the
• Six of the Guardian Council's
• Among the potential successors

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