Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei Killed
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike, a major escalation that followed months of CIA surveillance. Israel has since struck targets in Tehran for a second day, while Iran has vowed retaliation and fired missiles at Israel and Gulf states. Iranian authorities say a successor will be chosen within days amid the escalating conflict.
As Iran's second-ever supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei held the position since 1989, succeeding the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Before becoming supreme leader, Khamenei served as Iran's president from 1981 to 1989, a period that included the brutal Iran-Iraq War. The supreme leader is the most powerful figure in Iran, with final say on all state matters. The role grants command-in-chief of the armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as control over the judiciary, state media, and other key government organizations. The leader also appoints six of the twelve members of the powerful Guardian Council. An 88-member body of clerics known as the Assembly of Experts is constitutionally tasked with selecting the next supreme leader. This is only the second time in the Islamic Republic's history the assembly has undertaken this task. The candidates for the Assembly itself are vetted by the Guardian Council, whose members are appointed or approved by the supreme leader. Until a successor is named, a temporary council assumes leadership duties. This council is comprised of Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and a cleric from the Guardian Council. While no successor was officially named, Khamenei's second son, Mojtaba, is considered a potential frontrunner. A mid-ranking cleric, he is believed to wield significant influence behind the scenes and has close ties to the IRGC. A move to appoint him could be controversial, fueling criticism of a dynastic succession in a republic founded on revolutionary principles. Other names mentioned as possible successors include judiciary head Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Alireza Arafi, a senior cleric who is a member of both the Guardian Council and the Assembly of Experts. Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the republic's founder, is also seen as a potential candidate, though he has not held public office.
