Iran's Supreme Leader Confirmed Dead
Iran confirmed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei died following joint Israeli-U.S. airstrikes over the weekend. Iran has already launched revenge strikes on Israel and Arab nations in response. Hundreds of thousands of travelers are now stranded as Middle East airports shut down or severely limit operations.
According to Iran's constitution, a temporary council is formed to assume the Supreme Leader's duties until a successor is named. This council consists of the sitting president, the head of the judiciary, and a cleric from the Guardian Council. President Masoud Pezeshkian and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei are currently members of this interim body. The responsibility for appointing the next Supreme Leader falls to the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of senior Islamic jurists. This group, whose own candidates are vetted by the Guardian Council, is constitutionally required to meet and select a permanent successor as soon as possible. This is only the second such leadership transition since the 1979 revolution. The new leader will inherit immense authority, serving as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, including the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Supreme Leader also has the final say on all major state policies, and directly appoints the heads of the judiciary, state media, and six of the twelve members of the Guardian Council. Speculation on a successor had long focused on a few key figures. One prominent name is Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late leader. However, Ali Khamenei had reportedly opposed a hereditary succession, and the deliberations of the Assembly of Experts are held in secret. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a critical institution in this transition. Operating as a parallel military force with its own army, navy, and air force, the IRGC's primary mission is to protect the Islamic Republic system and it answers directly to the Supreme Leader, not the president.
