Iran constitution sets no fixed term for interim leadership council

A political dispute has emerged in Iran over the legal duration of the country’s Interim Leadership Council, with senior officials rejecting claims that the body is limited to a one-week mandate.

The issue centers on Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which outlines the procedure after the Supreme Leader’s death. The article states that the Assembly of Experts must “act with all due haste” to appoint a new Leader. Until the new Leader is formally introduced, a provisional council assumes the Leader’s duties, Caliber.Az reports via Iranian media.

Hamid Rasaee, a conservative cleric and member of parliament, claimed that “according to the law, the lifespan of the Interim Leadership Council is one week.”

His statement was swiftly rejected by government officials. Abbas Pazouki, the president’s deputy for communications affairs, described the claim as “a clear distortion of the Constitution” and accused Rasaee of “playing into the hands of the enemy.”

Additional clarification came from Hadi Tahan Nazif, a representative of the Guardian Council, and Ali Bahadori Jahromi, the government spokesman. Both emphasised that the Constitution does not set a fixed timeframe for the provisional council. Instead, the council continues to perform its duties until a new Supreme Leader is appointed by the Assembly of Experts.

Under the current framework, the Interim Leadership Council consists of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Alireza Arafi, a jurist member of the Guardian Council.

By Sabina Mammadli