After Israeli claims of Khamenei’s death, here are three contenders for Supreme Leader of Iran
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "After Israeli claims of Khamenei’s death, here are three contenders for Supreme Leader of Iran")
Photograph: (ANI)
According to the constitution, a temporary provisional council consisting of the President (Masoud Pezeshkian), the Chief Justice (Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei), and a cleric from the Guardian Council immediately assumes its duties.
Senior Israeli officials have claimed that Ali Khamenei is dead and that his body has been found, according to sources cited by the networks. Multiple Israeli media outlets, quoting unnamed officials, echoed the assertion that Iran’s Supreme Leader has died. Two Israeli television networks reported that a photograph of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, had been presented to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“A photo of the body was shown to Netanyahu and Trump,” reported Channel 12. “Senior Israeli officials were informed of Khamenei's elimination. His body was recovered from the rubble of his compound,” public broadcaster Kan reported. However, there has been no official confirmation from Tehran regarding Khamenei’s death.
What happens after the Supreme Leader’s death
Iran’s constitution, Article 111, entails provisions for succession of the Supreme Leader in the event of the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to the constitution, a temporary provisional council consisting of the President (Masoud Pezeshkian), the Chief Justice (Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei), and a cleric from the Guardian Council immediately assumes its duties.
Article 111 of the constitution was written in anticipation of the unthinkable, the sudden loss of the Supreme Leader, the single figure around whom the political and religious architecture of the Islamic Republic ultimately rests. The provision is explicit in its intent to prevent paralysis. It states: “Whenever the Leader becomes incapable of fulfilling his constitutional duties, a council consisting of the President, the Head of the Judiciary, and one of the jurisprudents of the Guardian Council… shall temporarily assume all the duties of the Leader.”
The Assembly of Experts, made up of 88 clerics, must meet “within the shortest possible time” to elect a permanent successor. A candidate needs at least 59 votes to win.
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The Frontrunners for Supreme Leader
With the 2024 death of Ebrahim Raisi, the list of potential successors has narrowed:
Mojtaba Khamenei: The Supreme Leader’s second son. He is a powerful "shadow" figure with deep ties to the IRGC and the intelligence apparatus. However, a hereditary succession would contradict the Republic's anti-monarchy foundations.
Ali Larijani: A veteran powerbroker and current head of the Supreme National Security Council. He has reportedly emerged as the regime's "crisis manager" during the current conflict.
Alireza Arafi: A high-ranking cleric and deputy chair of the Assembly of Experts, often seen as a "bridge" between the clerical establishment and the military.
However, many experts believe that in the event of war, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) might bypass the clerical process to prevent a “decapitation” of the state.
(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)
