Khamenei dead: Who will be Iran's next Supreme Leader?
What's the story
The death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei raises critical questions about the country's future. The successor will be chosen by an 88-member clerical council known as the Assembly of Experts. This panel is made up entirely of Shia clerics elected every eight years with their candidacies approved by the Guardian Council, Iran's constitutional watchdog.
Interim leadership
What happens if there is a delay in selection?
Iranian law mandates the Assembly of Experts to quickly select a new supreme leader. However, if there is a delay, a temporary leadership council can take over. This council consists of Iran's sitting president, the head of the judiciary, and a Guardian Council member selected by Iran's Expediency Council. Currently, reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei would be on this interim council.
Succession speculation
Who are the possible candidates?
Clerical discussions on succession are often held behind closed doors, making it difficult to predict a frontrunner. Khamenei's protege and hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi was earlier considered a possible successor, but he died in a helicopter crash in May 2024. This leaves Mojtaba, one of Khamenei's sons and a 56-year-old Shia cleric, as a possible candidate despite never holding government office.
Leadership transition
Only 1 other transfer of power since 1979 Islamic Revolution
There has been only one other transfer of power in Iran's supreme leader's office since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In 1989, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died after leading Iran through its eight-year war with Iraq. The new leader will have vast powers, including being commander-in-chief of the military and Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force designated as a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019.