Iran Sets Timeline For Choosing New Supreme Leader Following Khamenei’s Death

Last Updated:March 01, 2026, 22:11 IST

Iran forms a temporary leadership council after Ayatollah Khamenei’s reported killing. The Assembly of Experts will soon select a new Supreme Leader.

Iran has outlined the constitutional process and timeline for selecting a new Supreme Leader after the reported killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in strikes that have plunged the region into turmoil.

According to Iranian state sources and officials, Tehran has already established a temporary leadership council composed of top officials to manage state affairs during the transition period. This council is functioning while the process of choosing a permanent successor gets underway.

Under Iran’s constitutional framework, the new Supreme Leader must be chosen by the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of senior clerics elected by the public. Article 111 of the Iranian constitution mandates that when the position becomes vacant through death, resignation or dismissal, the Assembly must convene and select a successor “in the shortest possible time."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has indicated that the appointment could be made within “a day or two," underlining the urgency of a leadership decision amid ongoing military operations and internal unrest.

Before convening, the interim leadership council, which includes President Pezeshkian and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, will temporarily assume the duties of the Supreme Leader, as outlined in constitutional provisions.

The selection of a permanent successor comes at a sensitive moment for Iran. Khamenei’s death marks only the second transition of the country’s top post since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with the last occurring in 1989 when Khamenei himself succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The Assembly of Experts whose members are vetted by the powerful Guardian Council, which  is responsible for reviewing candidates and appointing the new Supreme Leader. Until that body convenes, the interim council is empowered to guide state leadership.

Analysts say Iran’s succession process will be closely watched globally, as the new leader’s ideology, approach to foreign policy and relationship with powerful institutions like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could shape the country’s future direction during an already volatile period. 

News world Iran Sets Timeline For Choosing New Supreme Leader Following Khamenei’s Death

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