ISLAMABAD – Following the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday, Iran has appointed Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to its interim leadership council. This body will assume control of the country until the Assembly of Experts elects a permanent leader.
The move was announced by expediency council spokesman Mohsen Dehnavi via social media platforms. The interims leadership council will include not only Ayatollah Arafi but also the president and head of judiciary.
In his first statement after Khamenei’s death, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian underscored this as a significant moment in Islamic history. He called it “a decisive turning point,” highlighting that more than twenty members of Khamenei’s family perished during the strike.
Khamenei, who ruled Iran since 1989, was assassinated while attending an official meeting. Reports indicate his son, daughter-in-law, daughter, and granddaughter also met with similar fates in this attack.
The interim leadership council will now guide the country until further notice. Pezeshkian characterized the killing as a “great crime” and warned that those responsible would face severe consequences. He stated, “We will respond decisively to the blood of our leader.”
In response to the assassination, Iran has declared seven days of national mourning with plans for a 40-day period dedicated to remembrance. The country vowed retaliation.
Reports suggest that retaliatory strikes have already been carried out against Israeli territory and US military bases in the Gulf region. Explosions were reported in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while air defense systems have been activated across several Gulf states including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar.
Pezeshkian’s call for retaliation has set a new course for Iran’s political landscape, marking the beginning of the succession process without Khamenei. The interim leadership council will now take charge until permanent leaders are elected by the Assembly of Experts.