Following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike on Saturday, attention has turned to the constitutional process that will determine his successor.
His office announced on Sunday that during the transition period, joint responsibility for the duties of the supreme leader will be assumed by the president, the head of the judiciary and a cleric from the Council of Guardians until a new leader is elected.
The Interim Council of Leaders currently consists of the President of the State Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i and Guardian Council member Alirez Arafi. Until the 88-member Assembly of Experts elects a new supreme leader, the three-member council represents the highest authority in Iran.
Khamenei has not publicly named a successor. Anadolu has put together six figures who are widely considered to be the leading candidates in the succession process.
Member of the Council of Guardians Alireza Arafi
Arafi, who is simultaneously a member of the Assembly of Experts and the 12-member Guardian Council, enjoys significant influence within Iran’s power structure.
In addition to serving on the interim Supreme Leader’s Council, he heads Iran’s seminaries and is the imam of Friday prayers in Qom.
Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i
Mohseni-Eje’i was previously Iran’s intelligence minister from 2005 to 2009, and has held several senior government positions since 1984. He now serves on the interim Supreme Leader’s Council.
As the country’s top legal authority, he is seen as a key figure in the suppression of nationwide protest movements in 2025–2026.
Judiciary Council Chairman Sadiq Larijani
Former Supreme Justice Sadiq Larijani, now the chairman of the Judiciary Council, was a close advisor to Khamenei and has long been considered a potential successor.
Born in Najaf, he is the son of Grand Ayatollah Hashim Larijani, who was reportedly exiled by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Later, the family returned to Iran, where Sadiq attained the rank of Grand Ayatollah.
Former President Hassan Rouhani
Born Hassan Fereydoun, Hassan Rouhani served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. A cleric and Sharia expert, Rouhani previously served in the Assembly of Experts, the Council for Judgment and the Supreme National Security Council.
After leaving office, he was not appointed to a high position and was prohibited from running in the elections of the Assembly of Experts in 2024.
Grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamediani
Grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamediani, 100 years old, is considered one of Iran’s leading religious scholars and is known for his hard-line and ultra-conservative views.
Before the 1979 revolution, he was an open opponent of the Shah and was arrested several times by the SAVAK secret police. He currently lives in Qom and is a member of the Assembly of Experts.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei
Ali Khamenei’s second eldest son Mojtab Khamenei served during the Iran-Iraq War from 1987 to 1988.
He is widely regarded as the most influential of Khamenei’s children and is associated with the Basij force, which was used to quell protests after a disputed 2009 election.
Although he holds no formal public office, he was sanctioned by the US in 2019 to represent the supreme leader in an official capacity even though he has never been elected or appointed to a government position other than working in his father’s office.
How the new leader will be chosen
Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has had only two supreme leaders, Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei, who succeeded him in 1989.
Article 111 of the Iranian Constitution states that in the event of a death, experts should take measures as soon as possible to appoint a new leader. Until a new leader is appointed, a council consisting of the president, the head of the judiciary and a faqih from the Guardian Council, as decided by the nation’s Emergency Council, temporarily assumes all the duties of the leader.
Article 107 of the Iranian Constitution states that the appointment of the leader belongs to experts elected by the people, thus placing the responsibility on the 88 members of the Assembly of Experts to review and appoint the highest figure in the country.
In addition to electing the leader, the body is responsible for monitoring his work and has the authority to remove him if he does not fulfill his duties.
