Iran's Supreme Leader Killed in Strike
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed in a targeted U.S.–Israeli strike, plunging the region into crisis. In response, Iran has launched missile attacks at Israeli and Gulf Arab targets as explosions continue to rock Tehran. President Masoud Pezeshkian has been named interim leader while the country enters a 40-day mourning period.
The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei triggers a formal succession process that has only occurred once before, following the 1989 death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. A temporary council, consisting of the president, the head of the judiciary, and a cleric from the Guardian Council, will manage the leader's duties until a new one is chosen. This interim body currently pairs the reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian with the hardline judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei. The ultimate decision rests with the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of clerics elected by the public every eight years. This assembly is responsible for selecting, supervising, and if necessary, dismissing the Supreme Leader. However, all candidates for the Assembly must first be vetted and approved by the Guardian Council, whose members are themselves appointed or approved by the Supreme Leader, creating a tightly controlled selection process. The Supreme Leader holds immense power, acting as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The leader sets the overall direction of domestic and foreign policy and has the final say on all state matters, with authority to appoint key figures in the judiciary, military, and state media. Interim leader Masoud Pezeshkian, a cardiac surgeon by training, was elected president in July 2024. Considered a reformist, he previously served as Minister of Health under President Mohammad Khatami and was a five-term parliament member. While favoring engagement with the West, he has also expressed support for the IRGC. While high-profile political assassinations have occurred in Iran's modern history, including a president and prime minister in 1981, this is the first time a sitting Supreme Leader has been killed. Khamenei himself survived a 1981 assassination attempt that left his right arm permanently paralyzed.
