SANN News
On February 28, 2026, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, was killed in a significant attack attributed to Israel and the United States. Following this event, the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member panel composed entirely of Shia clerics, is mandated by Iranian law to appoint a successor as soon as practicable. This panel is elected every eight years with candidates vetted by the Guardian Council, which has a history of disqualifying candidates, including former President Hassan Rouhani, who was barred from running in the March 2024 elections.
In the interim period before a new supreme leader is selected, Iranian law allows for a leadership council to temporarily take on the responsibilities of leadership. This council would include Iran’s sitting president, the chief of the judiciary, and a member of the Guardian Council designated by the Expediency Council, which advises the supreme leader and reconciles conflicts between parliament and the leadership. Currently, the leadership council could consist of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.
