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Iran has entered a phase of institutional transition following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, immediately activating the constitutional mechanism for replacing the supreme leader. According to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, in the event of the death or incapacity of the leader, his authority temporarily passes to a Provisional Leadership Council, composed of the country's president, the head of the judiciary and a clerical jurist selected by the Guardian Council. This council administers the highest state powers until the election of a permanent successor.
The election of the new supreme leader falls exclusively to the Assembly of Experts. This is a body of 88 clerics, elected by popular vote every eight years, but candidates for this assembly must first be approved by the Guardian Council, which verifies their compliance with the religious and ideological criteria of the system. In this way, the process contains an electoral element, but also a strong theocratic filter.
After the vacancy for the post of supreme leader is declared, the Assembly of Experts convenes to review potential candidates. The constitution requires that the new leader have deep religious knowledge, moral integrity, political skill, and the capacity to lead the country. Until 1989, he was required to be a “grand ayatollah,” but after constitutional changes made after the death of Ruhollah Khomeini, the criteria were relaxed, allowing the election of a cleric of lower rank, as long as he meets the required standards.
The decision is made by vote within the Assembly. There is no public deadline for the completion of the process, but in practice the system aims to carry out the election relatively quickly to avoid a power vacuum. In 1989, Ali Khamenei was elected within a short period of time after Khomeini's death, in a special session of the Assembly.
During this transitional period, the Interim Council ensures continuity of decision-making on security, foreign policy, and command of the armed forces. However, it does not have a permanent mandate and does not replace the full institutional role of the supreme leader, who in the Iranian system has authority over the military, the Revolutionary Guard, the judiciary, state media, and the country's strategic direction.
Several names have been mentioned in the past as successors, including Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late leader, Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, as well as other senior clerics within the establishment. However, no figure currently enjoys the consolidated authority that Khamenei built during his decades in power.
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