TEHRAN- The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, attained martyrdom following U.S.-Israeli strikes that targeted his Tehran office Saturday morning. He was Iran’s second Leader, taking the helm in June of 1989 after the Islamic Republic’s founder, Imam Khomeini, passed away.

With Ayatollah Khamenei’s passing, Iran must now choose a new Leader. But who chose Ayatollah Khamenei in the first place, and who will choose his successor?

The absence of the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran automatically triggers an immediate and complex constitutional mechanism designed to ensure a seamless transfer of the nation’s highest authority. The process is strictly governed by Article 101 of the Iranian Constitution, which designates the body responsible for overseeing the transition: the Assembly of Experts.

Upon the announcement of the Leader’s passing, the Assembly of Experts (Majlis-e Khobregan-e Rahbari) is immediately vested with the responsibility of electing a successor. This 88-member body, directly elected by the people and composed primarily of senior clerics, holds the ultimate mandate to select the next Marja’ al-taqlid (source of emulation) who also serves as the political head of state.

The temporary council

The Constitution sets a strict timeline: the Assembly of Experts must convene within ten days of the vacancy to elect the new Leader. In the interim period, a temporary leadership council takes control.

That temporary council, as outlined in Article 101, consists of the President of the Republic, the Chief Justice of the Judiciary, and the Speaker of the Parliament. At the moment, these roles are respectively held by Masoud Pezeshkian, Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje’i, and Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf.

This three-person council assumes administrative power, though its mandate is strictly limited to day-to-day governance until a new Leader is formally installed.

The selection criteria

The Assembly of Experts’ primary task is to review the qualifications of potential candidates against the criteria established in Article 5. A successor must be a religious authority deemed competent to rule, possessing:

- Bara’at (Piety and moral integrity)

- Tusawwub (Insight and sagacity)

- Shija’at (Courage and fortitude)

- Maliyah (Management and administrative capability)

- Daniyah (Knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and contemporary issues)

While historically the Leader has been selected from the sitting clerical elite, the final selection hinges on the Assembly’s consensus. Once elected by a majority vote of the Assembly, the new Leader assumes office immediately, though this transition is typically followed by a period of public affirmation and consolidation of power across the state’s political and military institutions.