L-R: Mojtaba, Arafi, Mohseni-Ejei and Hassan
For the first time in nearly 37 years, Iran is set to appoint a new supreme leader following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. Khamenei had shaped the direction of the Islamic Republic since 1989, when he succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the country’s founding supreme leader.
The title “Ayatollah” is a high-ranking designation in Twelver Shia Islam, meaning “Sign of God.” It is conferred upon senior clerics who demonstrate exceptional religious scholarship and possess the authority to interpret Islamic law. Within Iran’s political system, the title carries immense influence.
When Khomeini assumed leadership, he held the rank of ayatollah. However, shortly before his death, Iran’s constitution was amended to allow a lower-ranking Shia cleric to serve as supreme leader, a change that enabled Khamenei, who did not yet hold the highest clerical rank at the time, to succeed him.
Under Iran’s governance structure, the supreme leader wields ultimate authority over all matters of state, ranking above the president.
Khamenei’s death comes amid heightened tensions. Several senior Iranian officials were also reportedly killed in collaborative U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Saturday. Among them were Abdol Rahim Mousavi, Iran’s army chief of staff; Aziz Nasirzadeh, the defence minister; Mohammad Pakpour, top commander of the Revolutionary Guard; and Ali Shamkhani, Khamenei’s senior security adviser.
With the country facing a critical leadership transition, attention has turned to the process of selecting his successor.
According to Iran’s constitutional framework, the responsibility for choosing the new supreme leader rests with the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body composed primarily of senior clerics and directly elected by the public. The Iranian embassy confirmed in a statement that “the selection of the new leader will be carried out in the future by the Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
In the interim, a council comprising President Masoud Pezeshkian; Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, head of the judiciary; and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a jurist of the Guardian Council and head of the Basij paramilitary force, has been referenced in connection with transitional responsibilities.
As deliberations loom, several prominent figures have emerged as potential successors.
Alireza Arafi
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi is widely regarded as a close confidant of Khamenei. With extensive experience in state institutions, Arafi serves as deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts and is a member of the influential Guardian Council, which vets election candidates and reviews legislation passed by parliament.
He also heads Iran’s nationwide seminary system, overseeing the education and training of religious leaders. Described as technologically adept and fluent in Arabic and English, Arafi has authored 24 books and scholarly articles.
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei
Mohseni-Ejei, a senior cleric, has led Iran’s judiciary since his appointment by Khamenei in July 2021. His previous roles include serving as intelligence minister from 2005 to 2009, as well as prosecutor-general and first deputy chief justice.
Widely viewed as a hardliner aligned with the conservative faction of Iran’s political establishment, Mohseni-Ejei has faced criticism from Western governments over alleged human rights violations. During his tenure, the judicial system accelerated prosecutions and the issuance of death sentences, placing Iran among the countries with the highest rates of capital punishment.
Hassan Khomeini
Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the Islamic Republic’s founder, carries significant religious and revolutionary legitimacy due to his lineage. However, he has never held public office and is seen as having limited influence within Iran’s security establishment or ruling elite.
Currently serving as custodian of the Khomeini mausoleum, he is considered less hardline than many of his contemporaries. In 2016, he was barred from running for a seat in the Assembly of Experts. His marriage to the granddaughter of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani of Iraq is viewed as strengthening his geopolitical standing in the broader Middle East.
Mojtaba Khamenei
Mojtaba Khamenei, the late supreme leader’s son, is regarded as a prominent figure among conservative and Islamist circles. Known for his close relationship with his father, he reportedly assumed informal leadership responsibilities during Khamenei’s later years.
Nonetheless, public grievances over economic decline, restrictive domestic policies, and foreign policy setbacks toward the end of his father’s tenure may present obstacles to his candidacy.
Like Hassan Khomeini, Mojtaba has never held formal government office but has been described as a key gatekeeper within his father’s inner circle. Educated in conservative seminaries in Qom, he is characterized as a hardliner with close ties to the Revolutionary Guard.
As the Assembly of Experts prepares to undertake one of the most consequential decisions in Iran’s modern history, the selection of the next supreme leader is expected to have far-reaching implications for the country’s domestic governance and its role in regional and global affairs.