Iran appoints Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as interim Supreme Leader after Ali Khamenei’s death in a US-Israeli airstrike. A three-member council led by President Masoud Pezeshkian will oversee the transition.
Tehran, March 1: Iran announced a swift leadership transition after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei died in a joint US-Israeli airstrike. Authorities confirmed that the strike hit his residential compound in Tehran.
Soon after, Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as the interim Supreme Leader. The decision came within hours of the confirmation of Khamenei’s death.
Khamenei had led the Islamic Republic since 1989. He took over the top post after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the architect of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Interim Leadership Council Formed
Following the announcement, the government set up a temporary leadership council.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the three-member body will manage state affairs during the transition.
The council includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and a senior cleric from the Guardian Council.
Under Iran’s Constitution, this panel will perform the Supreme Leader’s duties until a permanent successor takes charge.
Meanwhile, the Assembly of Experts will start the formal selection process. The 88-member clerical body holds ultimate authority over Iran’s political system, armed forces, and key institutions.
Who Is Ayatollah Alireza Arafi?
Ayatollah Arafi is a senior Shia scholar and Islamic jurist. He was born in 1959 in Meybod in central Iran. Over the years, he has held several influential positions.
Currently, he heads Iran’s Centre for the Management of Islamic Seminaries. In addition, he has served as Director of the Qom Seminary since 2016. He also sits on the Guardian Council, which reviews legislation and supervises elections.
Earlier, he led Al-Mustafa International University from 2008 to 2018. Moreover, he has been a permanent member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution since 2011.
As Iran enters a sensitive political phase, attention now turns to the Assembly of Experts.
The body will decide the country’s next permanent Supreme Leader in the coming days. (Edited)