Iran has appointed Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as its interim Supreme Leader as it prepares for a leadership transition following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US–Israeli airstrikes on Saturday.
This is coming after Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council elected Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as a jurist member of the Guardian Council in the Leadership Council.
The Leadership Council is responsible for carrying out the duties of the Supreme Leader until the Assembly of Experts selects a successor.
The 67-year-old cleric, who serves on the powerful Guardian Council, was confirmed as part of the three-member body by the Expediency Council.
Arafi will serve alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on the Interim Council, which is mandated by law to oversee leadership responsibilities during the transition period.
Born in 1959, the 67-year-old Arafi is a heavyweight within Iran's religious establishment. Before this emergency appointment, he simultaneously held three of the most influential positions in the country: he is the Director of Iran's nationwide Islamic Seminary system, a vetting member of the powerful Guardian Council, and a sitting member of the Assembly of Experts.