Official Start of the Process to Determine Iran’s New Leader.
Following the official confirmation on Sunday, March 1, 2026, of the death of Ali Khamenei, the formal process to appoint a new Leader of Iran has begun.
Iranian state television confirmed that Khamenei was killed during coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes; an event that has ushered Iran’s political structure into a new phase of constitutional power transition.
Until a new Leader is appointed, leadership authorities have been transferred to a temporary three-member council composed of Masoud Pezeshkian (President), Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei (Head of the Judiciary), and Alireza Arafi (member of the Guardian Council).
Under Article 107 of Iran’s Constitution, responsibility for selecting the new Leader rests with the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body elected by public vote. Sources close to the Assembly state that consultations for holding an extraordinary session have begun, and potential candidates are being reviewed as part of the constitutional succession process.
Names reportedly mentioned for the position include Hassan Rouhani, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, Alireza Arafi, Sadeq Larijani, Hossein Nouri Hamedani, and Mojtaba Khamenei.
The initiation of this process marks one of the most sensitive political stages in Iran in recent decades. Analysts believe the outcome could have a decisive impact on Iran’s political, security, and regional future. All eyes are now on the decision of the Assembly of Experts and the individual who will assume leadership in this new phase.
