Iran to form interim council to oversee transition after Khamenei’s assassination | Israel-Iran conflict news

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a member of the Constitutional Guard, was appointed to the Provisional Council along with Iran’s president and chief justice.

Iran has announced the formation of a three-member Transitional Council to handle state duties following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a member of the powerful constitutional watchdog, was appointed to the Provisional Council on Sunday, with two other members being President Massoud Pezheshkian and Supreme Court Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei.

The 67-year-old cleric is a member of the Guardian Council, which will then have to choose a supreme leader, confirmed the Expediency Council Council, a powerful mediating body.

According to Article 111 of Iran’s constitution, the Transitional Council will rule the country until an 88-member committee called the Assembly of Experts elects a new supreme leader after nearly 37 years of Khamenei’s rule.

His killing by United States and Israeli forces on Saturday has raised critical questions about Iran’s future.

Although the leadership council rules in the interim, the Iranian constitution requires the assembly of experts to choose a new supreme leader “as soon as possible.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani are also expected to play a key role in the transitional council, but it remains to be seen where the balance of power lies.

The commander-in-chief of the IRGC was also killed in a US-Israeli strike on Saturday – the second such killing in less than a year – and the next leader of the elite military and economic force has yet to be announced.

IRGC-affiliated Telegram channels are citing Deputy Chief Ahmad Vahidi, who was appointed to the position by Khamenei two months ago, as a possible candidate.

Earlier on Sunday, Larijani accused the US and Israel of trying to loot and break Iran and warned “separatist groups” inside Iran of a harsh response if they tried to take action, state media said.

“Brave soldiers and a great nation, Iran will teach international oppressors an unforgettable lesson,” he said.

Larijani, a former parliamentary speaker and senior policy adviser, was appointed to advise Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration.