His office announced on Sunday that during the transitional period, the president, the head of the judiciary and a cleric from the Guardian Council will assume joint responsibility for the duties of the supreme leader until a new leader is elected. Khamenei has not publicly named a successor. Anadolu has compiled six figures widely considered to be the leading candidates in the succession process.
Alireza Arafi
Arafi, who is both a member of the Assembly of Experts and the 12-member Council of Guardians, enjoys considerable influence within the Iranian power structure.
In addition to serving on the interim leadership council, he leads Iranian seminaries and is the imam of Friday prayers in Qom.
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i
Mohseni-Eje’i was previously Iran’s Minister of Intelligence from 2005 to 2009 and has held several senior government positions since 1984. He currently serves on the interim leadership council.
As the country’s highest legal authority, he is considered a key figure in the suppression of protest movements across the country during the period 2025–2026.
Sadeq Larijani
Former Chief Justice Sadeq Larijani, currently the chairman of the Appropriations Council, has been a close advisor to Khamenei and has long been considered a potential successor.
Born in Najaf, he is the son of Grand Ayatollah Hashem Larijani, who was reportedly expelled by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The family later returned to Iran, where Sadeq attained the rank of grand ayatollah.
Hassan Rouhani
Born Hassan Fereydoun, Hassan Rouhani served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. A cleric and sharia expert, Rouhani has previously served on the Assembly of Experts, the Expediency Council, and the Supreme National Security Council.
After leaving office, he was not appointed to any high-ranking positions and was barred from running in the 2024 Assembly of Experts elections.
Hossein Nouri Hamedani
Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani, 100, is considered one of Iran’s most prominent religious scholars and is known for his harsh and ultraconservative stances.
Before the 1979 revolution, he was an outspoken opponent of chess and was arrested several times by the SAVAK secret police. He currently lives in Qom and is a member of the Assembly of Experts.
Mojtaba Khamenei
Ali Khamenei’s second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, served during the Iran-Iraq War from 1987 to 1988.
He is widely considered the most influential of Khamenei’s children and is linked to the Basij forces, which were used to suppress protests after the disputed 2009 elections.
Although he does not hold an official public position, the United States sanctioned him in 2019 for representing the supreme leader in official functions, even though he has never been elected or appointed to any state position, other than working in his father’s office.
How will the new leader be chosen?
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has had only two supreme leaders: Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei, who succeeded him in 1989.
Article 111 of the Iranian Constitution stipulates that in the event of death, the experts must take measures in the shortest possible time to appoint a new leader. Until the new leader is appointed, a council consisting of the president, the head of the judiciary, and a faqih from the Guardian Council, according to the decision of the National Emergency Council, temporarily assumes all the duties of the leader.
Article 107 of Iran’s Constitution stipulates that the determination of the leader is up to experts elected by the people, leaving the responsibility to the 88 members of the Assembly of Experts to review and appoint the highest figure in the country.
In addition to electing the leader, this body is responsible for overseeing his work and has the authority to dismiss him if he fails to fulfill his duties. (Associated Press)