Khamenei era ends: Iran names new leader in emergency move
Photo: Alireza Arafi (wikipedia)
Iran has appointed an acting Supreme Leader following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a result of a joint US and Israeli airstrike on Tehran, according to the Iranian agency IRNA.
Read also: Trump signals massive response to Iran over potential new assault
Interim leadership and transition period
Senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been appointed as Iran's acting Supreme Leader. Under the country's constitution, he has joined the temporary leadership council, which will perform the duties of head of state until a successor is elected.
The council also includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei. This body will jointly govern the country during the transfer of power.
Changes in IRGC command
The large-scale strikes also led to the elimination of the top leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Reports indicate that Commander-in-Chief General Mohammad Pakpour was killed.
Ahmad Vahidi has been appointed as the new head of the IRGC. The Corps is considered Iran’s most powerful institution, overseeing not only military matters but also political and economic processes, operating separately from the regular armed forces.
Strikes on Iran
On February 28, a joint US-Israeli operation against the Iranian regime began.
US President Donald Trump stated that the goal of the campaign was the complete neutralization of threats from Tehran. As a result of a series of precision strikes, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the defense minister, and the chief of the General Staff were killed.
Iran responded by shelling Israeli territory and US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, and other neighboring countries.
For full details on the US and Israeli attack on Iran, see the full report.
