DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥� The death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah after almost 37 years in power raises paramount questions about Iran’s future.
The contours of a complex succession process began to take shape the morning after Khamenei’s killing in an airstrike campaign by the United States and Israel.
Here is what to know:
Temporary leadership council
As outlined in its constitution, Iran on Sunday formed a council to assume leadership duties and govern the country.
The council is made up of Iran鈥檚 sitting president, the head of the country鈥檚 judiciary and a member of the Guardian Council chosen by Iran鈥檚 Expediency Council, which advises the supreme leader and settles disputes with parliament.
Iran鈥檚 reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, are its members who will step in and 鈥渢emporarily assume all the duties of leadership.鈥�
Panel of clerics
Though the leadership council will govern in the interim, an 88-member panel called the 鈥渕ust, as soon as possible鈥� pick a new supreme leader under Iranian law.
The panel consists entirely of Shiite clerics who are popularly elected every eight years and whose candidacies are approved by the Guardian Council, Iran鈥檚 constitutional watchdog.
That body is known for disqualifying candidates in various elections in Iran and the Assembly of Experts is no different. The Guardian Council , a relative moderate whose administration struck the , from election for the Assembly of Experts in March 2024.
Khamenei’s son
Clerical deliberations about succession and machinations over it take place far from the public eye, making it hard to gauge who may be a top contender.
Previously, it was thought that Khamenei’s protege, hard-line President , may try to take the mantle. However, he was killed in a .
That has left one of Khamenei’s sons, Mojtaba, a 56-year-old Shiite cleric, as a potential candidate, though he has never held government office.
But a father-to-son transfer in the case of a supreme leader could spark anger, not only among Iranians already critical of clerical rule, but also among supporters of the system. Some may see it as un-Islamic and in line with creating a new, religious dynasty after the 1979 collapse of the U.S.-backed .
Rare transition
There has been only one other transfer of power in the office of supreme leader of Iran, the paramount decision-maker since the country’s .
In 1989, Grand Ayatollah died at age 86 after being the figurehead of the revolution and leading Iran through its . This transition now comes after Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June 2025 as well.
Vast powers
The supreme leader is at the heart of Iran鈥檚 complex power-sharing Shiite theocracy and has final say over all matters of state.
He also serves as the commander-in-chief of the country’s military and the powerful Revolutionary Guard, a paramilitary force that the United States , and which Khamenei empowered during his rule.
The Guard, which has led the self-described 鈥淎xis of Resistance,鈥� a series of militant groups and allies across the Middle East meant to counter the U.S. and Israel, also has extensive wealth and holdings in Iran.
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