Iran: Cleric Alireza Arafi to serve as member of leadership council after Khamenei’s killing

Senior Iranian cleric Alireza Arafi has been appointed to serve as part of the country’s interim leadership council following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint United States-Israeli military operation on Sunday, Reuters reported, quoting a state-linked news agency as saying.

Arafi has been named the jurist member of the temporary leadership council responsible for carrying out the Supreme Leader’s duties during the transition period until a successor is selected under Iran’s constitutional process.

Under Iran’s constitutional mechanism, the interim council comprises President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and a cleric from the Guardian Council.

The body will jointly oversee the country during the transition period until the Assembly of Experts “elects a permanent leader”, AFP reported.

Arafi is a senior cleric who serves as deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts and has been a member of the Guardian Council, which vets election candidates and legislation, CNN reported.

He also heads Iran’s seminary system.

Iran vows to avenge Khamenei’s killing

Iranian President Pezeshkian, in a statement carried by state television, described Khamenei’s killing as a “declaration of war against Muslims”, AFP reported.

“The assassination of the highest political authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a prominent leader of Shiism worldwide... is perceived as an open declaration of war against Muslims, and particularly against Shias, everywhere in the world,” he said.

He added that avenging the killing was Iran’s “legitimate duty and right”.

Khamenei, 86, had served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989. He controlled all branches of the government and the armed forces.

On Saturday, Israel and the US launched a joint operation to target the Iranian regime, claiming that they were doing so to remove “existential threats to Israel”. Iran retaliated to the attacks and said that the US-Israeli operation had begun while the nuclear negotiations were on.

Israel has been claiming that Iran is “closer than ever” to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.

However, amid fears of a potential attack, with a heavy US military deployment off its coast in recent months, Tehran had been forced to reopen negotiations with Washington about its nuclear programme.

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