"Will Forcefully Crush Enemy's Bases": Iran President After Khamenei's Death

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian today announced the interim leadership council formed after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israel strike has started working on their important tasks.

"The interim leadership council started its work... we will continue with all our strength along the path set by Imam Khomeinei," Pezeshkian said in a recorded video statement broadcast on state TV.

He said the Islamic republic's military "will forcefully crush the enemy's bases".

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi is the head of the interim leadership council. The interim council, which includes the president and the head of the judiciary, will lead Iran until the Assembly of Experts "elects a permanent leader as soon as possible".

Shiite cleric Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, about 68, is also a member of the leadership council. He was born in the village of Ejeh in central Iran's Isfahan province. A long-time figure within the Islamic republic's judiciary and security apparatus, he was appointed head of the judiciary in 2021 by Khamenei.

The interim leadership council includes 65-year-old cleric Alireza Arafi, who heads Iran's centre for managing Shiite seminaries. He simultaneously serves as second vice president of the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for appointing and overseeing the supreme leader. He is also a member of the Guardian Council.

The youngest and least known of the three council members, he has generally adopted a cautious tone. On Sunday, however, he struck a defiant note, saying: "The nation will continue along the path of the revolution... and will avenge the blood of the people, of the dear youth and of the dear students."

Ali Larijani, 68, is currently the head of Iran's top security body, the Supreme National Security Council. He is believed to have enjoyed Khamenei's confidence after a long career in the Islamic republic's military, media and legislature.

With inputs from AFP