Iranian clerics push for fast selection of Khamenei’s successor
TEHRAN, IRAN: Several prominent clerics in Iran have called for the swift selection of a new Supreme Leader, a week after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid growing concerns about a leadership vacuum during the country’s escalating conflict with Israel.
Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi urged the country’s powerful Assembly of Experts to move quickly in appointing Khamenei’s successor, saying in a statement on Saturday, March 7, that “the timely realization of this important matter will lead to national authority and the best possible organization of affairs.”
Senior clerics push for urgent decision
The call was echoed by other senior clerics, according to Iranian state media.
Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani stressed the need to accelerate the leadership selection process. At the same time, Ayatollah Abdolkarim Abedini warned that “any shortcoming in the selection of the leader will be blamed on all those involved.”
Abedini, however, is not a member of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body tasked with choosing and overseeing Iran’s supreme leader.
On Friday, Jamileh Alamolhoda, the widow of former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, also urged the assembly to act swiftly to “promptly identify and select a new leader” and prevent “discord and division.”
Assembly’s status uncertain after strikes
It remains unclear whether the 88-member Assembly of Experts has been able to convene since US and Israeli airstrikes began a week ago.
The assembly’s building in Qom was heavily damaged during recent strikes, raising further questions about how quickly the leadership transition can proceed.
Under Iran’s constitution, until a new supreme leader is chosen, a temporary three-man council oversees the government.
The body consists of the country’s president, the head of the judiciary and a cleric nominated by the Assembly of Experts.
Khamenei’s son seen as leading contender
Analysts have widely speculated that Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son, is among the leading candidates to succeed his father. However, he has not been publicly heard from in the week since Khamenei’s death.
Israel has also issued direct warnings about Iran’s next leader. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media that any leader appointed by the Iranian regime to “lead the plan to destroy Israel and to suppress the Iranian people will be a target for elimination.”
US-Israeli strikes intensify across Iran
The leadership uncertainty comes as fighting between Israel and Iran continues to escalate.
The Israeli military said it launched a new wave of strikes on Saturday on Tehran and other parts of western and central Iran. According to the Israel Defense Forces, more than 80 fighter jets targeted several military sites.
Among the targets was Imam Hossein University in Tehran, which Israel alleges was being used to train officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Israeli military said it also struck ballistic missile storage facilities, an underground command center and multiple missile launch sites. Overnight strikes were also reported in Isfahan, home to key facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear program.
Iranian state media said Israel also struck an airport, though the extent of damage and whether the facility was directly hit remain unclear. In response, Iran launched another volley of missiles toward Israel on Saturday, triggering emergency alerts across the country.
