Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died following an\nattack by the United States and Israel. What is the mechanism for\nselecting Khamenei\u2019s successor?<\/p>\n
According to Al-Jazeera and CNN, reported on Sunday 1 March 2026, the\nIranian clerical regime now faces the challenge of finding a replacement\nfor Khamenei following his death. The veteran leader, who governed with\nan iron fist for nearly four decades, had no officially announced\nsuccessor.<\/p>\n
Instead, an elected body consisting of 88 senior clerics, known as\nthe Assembly of Experts, will select who becomes Khamenei\u2019s successor.\nThis body has only carried out this task once since the Islamic Republic\nwas established in 1979, when Khamenei was hastily selected following\nthe death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini more than three decades\nago.<\/p>\n
The government will seek to demonstrate stability in the republic\nquickly, with assembly members expected to gather soon to discuss\npotential candidates before appointing Khamenei\u2019s replacement. However,\nit remains unclear whether they will dare take the risk of holding a\nmeeting, given that US President Donald Trump has vowed that bombing\nattacks targeting the regime will continue.<\/p>\n
The jurists must select a replacement who meets the qualifications\nset out in the constitution. The new leader must be male, a cleric with\npolitical competence, moral authority, and loyalty to the Islamic\nRepublic. The Assembly can interpret the rules to exclude reform-minded\nclerics who support greater social freedoms and engagement with the\nwider world.<\/p>\n
Al-Jazeera reported that Khamenei, before his death, had submitted\nfour names. However, there is no information yet on who those four\ncandidates are.<\/p>\n
Another scenario involves a council of four people to run the state\nuntil a new leader is selected. In the meantime, Iran has formed a\nthree-member council consisting of the country\u2019s president, the head of\nthe judiciary, and one constitutional law expert from the Guardian\nCouncil to temporarily take over all leadership duties in Iran.<\/p>\n
Additionally, CNN has reviewed several candidates who, according to\nexperts and analysts, have the potential to become Khamenei\u2019s successor.\nHere is the list:<\/p>\n
Mojtaba Khamenei<\/strong><\/p>\n Khamenei\u2019s second son, Mojtaba Khamenei (56), is known to have\nsignificant behind-the-scenes influence and strong relationships with\nthe Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the country\u2019s most\npowerful military body, as well as the volunteer paramilitary Basij\nforces. However, succession from father to son is unpopular among Shia\nMuslim clerics and particularly in revolutionary Iran, which emerged\nafter overthrowing the deeply hated monarchy.<\/p>\n A further obstacle is that Mojtaba is not a high-ranking cleric and\nhas no official role in the regime. He was sanctioned by the US in\n2019.<\/p>\n Alireza Arafi<\/strong><\/p>\n As a lesser-known figure, Alireza Arafi (67) is a prominent cleric\nwith a track record in government institutions and is also a trusted\nconfidant of Khamenei. He currently serves as vice chairman of the\nAssembly of Experts and has been an influential member of the Guardian\nCouncil, which reviews election candidates and legislation passed by\nparliament. He is also the head of Iran\u2019s seminary system.<\/p>\n According to Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute, Khamenei\u2019s\nwillingness to appoint Arafi to senior and strategic positions indicates\nthat he has \u201cgreat confidence in his bureaucratic competence\u201d. However,\nArafi is not known as an influential political figure and does not have\nclose ties to security institutions.<\/p>\n He is said to be skilled in technology and fluent in Arabic and\nEnglish. He is also an active writer, having published 24 books and\narticles.<\/p>\n Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri<\/strong><\/p>\n Mirbagheri (60) is a hardline cleric and member of the Assembly of\nExperts representing the most conservative wing of the clergy. It was\nrecently reported that he justified the high death toll in the\nIsrael-Gaza war, saying that deaths, even half the world\u2019s population,\nwould be \u201cworth it\u201d if it achieved closeness to God.<\/p>\n According to IranWire, an activist media outlet, he is strongly\nopposed to the West and believes that the conflict between the faithful\nand the infidel is inevitable. He currently leads the Academy of Islamic\nSciences in the holy city of Qom in the north.<\/p>\n Hassan Khomeini (50)<\/strong><\/p>\n Khomeini is the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic,\nAyatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which gives him religious and revolutionary\nlegitimacy. He serves as custodian of Khomeini\u2019s mausoleum but has never\nheld public office and appears to have little influence over the state\u2019s\nsecurity apparatus or ruling elite.<\/p>\n He is known to be less hardline than many of his peers and was barred\nfrom running for the Assembly of Experts in 2016.<\/p>\n Hashem Hosseini Bushehri<\/strong><\/p>\n Bushehri (in his 60s) is a senior cleric closely connected to\ninstitutions managing succession, particularly the Assembly of Experts,\nwhere he serves as first vice chairman. He is said to be close to\nKhamenei but maintains a low profile domestically and is not known to\nhave strong ties with the IRGC.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/iranian-leader-khamenei-dead-who-will-succeed-him-1772358914",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}