2026/3/2 11:04(Updated at 3/2 13:32)
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(Central News Agency, Paris, 1st Comprehensive Foreign News Report) Iran said that after the US and Israeli air strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, it will quickly appoint a new supreme leader, and insisted that the Iranian system is fully prepared to fill this core power position.
The following is a summary of the key points regarding the process of appointing the supreme leader:
Who decides?
Table of Contents
Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in the 1979 revolution, the current system combines elements of theocracy and democracy, with the supreme leader holding the highest power.
The supreme leader is a lifelong member elected by the democratically elected Assembly of Experts. In theory, the leader is supervised by this highest clerical body, but in fact he has the power to adjudicate all domestic and foreign policies and is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The Expert Conference consists of 88 jurists, who are elected every eight years. So far, the conference has only overseen one transfer of power: in 1989, after the founder of the revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died of illness, Khamini was elected to succeed him.
Appoint new leaders quickly
The authorities said they would make a quick decision in accordance with the constitution. “According to the law, the leader must be selected as soon as possible; given the current wartime situation, this process will be completed as soon as possible,” state television reported, a spokesman for the Guardian Council said today.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera today: “Perhaps in the next day or two, a new supreme leader will be announced.”
He said before the airstrikes that the Islamic Republic’s institutions were designed to deal with leadership crises and were “not dependent on specific individuals”.
Araqchi said in an exclusive interview with India Today earlier this week: “Whenever there is a need, the expert meeting will elect a new supreme leader for the country. Just like what happened after the death of Khomeini, they elected a new leader in less than 24 hours.”
transitional leadership
After confirming the death of Khamini, the Iranian authorities quickly announced the establishment of a three-member transitional leadership committee to govern the country. Members include jurist Alireza Arafi, a member of the Constitutional Guardian Council, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Justice Director Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei. Half of the members of the Guardian Council are appointed by the Supreme Leader.
Petzeskian said today that the transitional leadership committee has begun operations. “We will go all out to continue on the path started by (the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran) Ayatollah Khomeini,” he said in a pre-recorded video broadcast on state television.
Past leader selections
In the 1980s, the most popular candidate to succeed Khomeini was originally considered to be senior cleric Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. However, the revolutionary leader changed his support shortly before his death, so the expert meeting elected Khamini to take power instead.
Khamini, who was 86 when he was assassinated, is known to have initially rejected the nomination, but with the unanimous support of the clergy, his successor status was finally established, and his grip on power has never loosened since then. (Compiled by: Chen Yuting) 1150302
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