Iran's Leadership Transition: Who Will Succeed Ayatollah Khamenei?

In a rare moment for the Islamic Republic, Iran now enters a complex succession process that has been triggered at a time of intense internal and external pressure. An 88-member Assembly of Experts is meeting in secret to choose the next Supreme Leader, while an interim leadership council - President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, and cleric Alireza Arafi - temporarily assumes authority. With names like Mojtaba Khamenei, Alireza Arafi, Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, and Hassan Khomeini emerging as potential successors, the outcome of this transition will define Iran's direction at a critical moment.