In a rare moment for the Islamic Republic, Iran now enters a complex succession process that has been triggered at a time of intense internal and external pressure. An 88-member Assembly of Experts is meeting in secret to choose the next Supreme Leader, while an interim leadership council – President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, and cleric Alireza Arafi – temporarily assumes authority. With names like Mojtaba Khamenei, Alireza Arafi, Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, and Hassan Khomeini emerging as potential successors, the outcome of this transition will define Iran’s direction at a critical moment.
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