Who will succeed Khamenei? Iran's succession process takes shape

The death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday has triggered the constitutional mechanism for selecting his successor, putting the spotlight on the Islamic Republic's complex power transition process. Khamenei's office announced Sunday that an interim Leadership Council will temporarily assume the duties of the supreme leader until a permanent replacement is chosen by the Assembly of Experts.

Interim council takes charge

The transitional Leadership Council currently comprises President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, and Guardian Council member Alireza Arafi. This tripartite body now represents Iran's highest authority, tasked with managing the country's affairs while the 88-member Assembly of Experts deliberates on selecting a new supreme leader. The arrangement follows Article 111 of the Iranian Constitution, which outlines the procedure for leadership succession.

Key candidates for succession

Since Khamenei did not publicly designate a successor, attention has focused on six influential figures widely viewed as leading contenders:

Guardian Council member Alireza Arafi holds dual membership in both the Assembly of Experts and the powerful 12-member Guardian Council. As head of Iran's seminaries and Friday prayer imam in Qom, he commands significant religious authority alongside his position on the interim council.

Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i brings decades of security and judicial experience, having served as intelligence minister from 2005 to 2009. The top judicial authority is considered a key figure behind the suppression of the 2025–2026 nationwide protests.

Expediency Discernment Council Chairman Sadiq Larijani, a former chief justice and close Khamenei aide, has long been mentioned as a potential successor. The Grand Ayatollah, born in Najaf, Iraq, comes from a prominent religious family and maintains strong ties to the conservative establishment.

Continuity and hardline voices

Grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamediani, aged 100, represents the ultra-conservative religious current within Iran's clerical hierarchy. A former opponent of the Shah who was arrested by SAVAK secret police before the 1979 revolution, he remains a member of the Assembly of Experts and resides in Qom as one of Iran's leading scholars.

Former president Hassan Rouhani, who served from 2013 to 2021, brings executive experience despite being barred from the 2024 Assembly of Experts elections. The cleric and sharia lawyer previously held positions on key state bodies including the Expediency Council and Supreme National Security Council.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the second eldest son of the late leader, wields considerable behind-the-scenes influence despite holding no formal public office. A veteran of the Iran–Iraq War, he has been linked to the Basij force and was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2019 for allegedly representing the Supreme Leader in an unofficial capacity.

How Iran selects its leader

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has had only two supreme leaders: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei, who succeeded him in 1989. Article 107 of the Iranian Constitution places the responsibility for selecting the leader with the Assembly of Experts, whose 88 members must vet and appoint the country's top figure. Beyond selection, the body monitors the leader's performance and holds dismissal authority if duties are not fulfilled. The succession process now unfolds against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions following the US-Israeli attack that killed Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials.