Iran appoints interim supreme leader

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been appointed as a jurist member of the Supervisory Council tasked with temporarily performing the duties of Iran’s Supreme Leader, a local outlet reports.

The Temporary Leadership Council will also include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Head of the Judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and one of the members of the Guardian Council, Ayatollah Arafi, according to Mohsen Dehnavi, spokesperson for Iran’s Expediency Council.

"The interim leadership council oversees the administration of the republic's affairs until a new Supreme Leader is elected. Arafi is one of the leading candidates to succeed Ali Khamenei as the next Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic," Dehnavi said.

These developments come amid rapid military escalation in the region, following the announcement by official Iranian media of the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during US and Israeli missile strikes targeting sites inside Iran, which also killed a number of senior officers, including Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammad Pakpour.

Tehran has declared 40 days of mourning amid anticipation of official reactions, at a time when the region is witnessing unprecedented tensions.

By Khagan Isayev