According to Iranian state media, a broad consensus has been reached on the name of Iran's new supreme leader, following the assassination of the previous leader, Ali Khamenei. He was reportedly killed in attacks launched by the United States and Israel on Iran about a week ago.
Immediately after his death, a three-member interim ruling council was established in Iran to administer the country until a new supreme leader was elected.
The council consists of: Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's reformist president; Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, head of the judiciary and a hard-line figure; Alireza Arafi, a lawyer and head of the Basij paramilitary force; Iran's supreme leader is elected by the Assembly of Experts, a body made up of 88 Islamic scholars, who are chosen for their loyalty to the country's political system.
One of the members of this body, Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri, stated that a near majority consensus has already been reached on the name of the new leader. However, according to him, there are still some procedural obstacles related to the way of announcing the final decision. Iranian media reports that there was a minor disagreement within the body regarding whether the name of the new leader should be approved in a full physical meeting or whether the decision can be announced without following this formality.
