Iran Forms Interim Leadership Council Following Supreme Leader Khamenei's Assassination

Interim Leadership Council Takes Control in Iran

An interim leadership council has assumed authority in Iran following the confirmed assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, 86, was killed on February 28, 2026, in a joint United States and Israeli airstrike on his compound in Tehran. Iranian state media confirmed his death on March 1, 2026, and declared 40 days of mourning.

The newly formed council, established on March 1, 2026, is tasked with carrying out the Supreme Leader's duties until a permanent successor is chosen. Its formation is in accordance with Article 111 of the Iranian Constitution, which mandates such a body in the event of the Supreme Leader's death or incapacitation.

Composition of the Council

The three-member interim council consists of:

• President Masoud Pezeshkian: A reformist politician who assumed the presidency in July 2024.
• Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Eje'i: Who has served as the Chief Justice of Iran since July 2021.
• Ayatollah Alireza Arafi: A prominent cleric and member of the Guardian Council, selected by the Expediency Council to serve on the interim body.

President Pezeshkian, in an address, stated that 'Today the interim Leadership Council has started its work.' He also emphasized that Iran considers 'it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime.'

Succession Process and Regional Tensions

The interim council will govern until the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body, elects a new Supreme Leader. This transition marks only the second time in the Islamic Republic's history that a Supreme Leader has died in office, the first being the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Khamenei's assassination occurred amid heightened regional tensions, with reports indicating that the US-Israeli strikes also targeted other high-ranking Iranian officials. The sudden loss of the long-standing Supreme Leader and other key figures has plunged Iran into an unprecedented leadership crisis.