The reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after nearly four decades in power has triggered questions about the country’s political future and the constitutional process for selecting his successor.
Under Iran’s constitution, a temporary leadership structure is activated when the position of supreme leader becomes vacant. A council composed of the sitting president, the head of the judiciary, and a representative selected by the Guardian Council through the Expediency Council assumes the responsibilities of leadership on an interim basis.
In this scenario, reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei are among those expected to participate in managing state affairs temporarily while the succession process unfolds.
The permanent replacement is chosen by the Assembly of Experts - an 88-member body of Shiite clerics elected every eight years. Candidates for this assembly must be approved by the Guardian Council, a powerful constitutional body that screens political aspirants and has previously barred prominent figures from participation.
The assembly is required by law to select a new supreme leader “as soon as possible,” though deliberations typically occur behind closed doors. Analysts say internal negotiations within clerical circles will play a decisive role in determining the outcome.
Observers frequently mention Mojtaba Khamenei, one of the late leader’s sons and a cleric, as a potential contender. However, he has never held public office, and a hereditary succession could generate controversy within both reformist and conservative factions.
Iran has experienced only one previous transition of supreme leadership - in 1989, following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. That transfer reshaped the political structure of the Islamic Republic.
The supreme leader holds ultimate authority over state institutions, commands the armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and sets broad strategic direction for domestic and foreign policy. His successor will inherit significant influence over Iran’s military posture and regional alliances at a time of heightened geopolitical tension.
