LAST TIME. Iran's future supreme leader: majority consensus, but there are 'some obstacles'
The Assembly of Experts, the forum tasked with appointing Iran's next supreme leader, the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reached a majority consensus, Ayatollah Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri said, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency, carried by Reuters.
However, he said there are still “some hurdles” that need to be cleared in terms of the process.
According to Iranian media, the body in charge of appointing Iran's supreme leader had a slight disagreement over whether the final decision must be made following a face-to-face meeting or whether it can be issued without observing that formality.
Earlier, Hossein Mozafari, another member of the Assembly, asked the population “to refrain from any speculations and spreading rumors about this subject”.
The succession procedure of Khamenei, killed last weekend by the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran, was launched the very next day after the event.
The Assembly of Experts has 88 members. Its headquarters in Tehran and the holy city of Qom in the south of the country were hit by the Israelis on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Israel has already announced that the next leader in Tehran will become “a target” in turn.
Until his appointment, the interim power in Iran is exercised by President Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, Golam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and the cleric Alireza Arafi, a member of the Assembly of Experts.
There was “a first appointment” of Mojtaba Khamenei, but that turned out to be only a preliminary meeting. Those who said that the appointment of the former ayatollah's son was reached were those from the Revolutionary Guard.
