Iran close to choosing next supreme leader, says state media
March 8, 2026 02:38 pm
Iran’s Assembly of Experts has more or less decided on the country’s next supreme leader after its longtime ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli strike.
“A decisive and overwhelming opinion - which represents the majority view - has been formed,” assembly member Ayatollah Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri said in a video published by Iranian state-affiliated Fars News Agency.
However, no name was announced. Mirbagheri said that “in these difficult circumstances, there are obstacles” and “this work must be carried out carefully so that it is not subject to dispute.”
Khamenei, who ruled with an iron fist for nearly four decades, was killed without an officially declared heir, leaving the choice of his successor to the country’s clerical regime.
The next supreme leader will be selected by the Assembly of Experts, an elected body of 88 senior clerics.
Source: CNN
- Agencies
