Iran nears consensus on Khamenei successor

According to one of its members, the Iranian Assembly of Experts – the body responsible for selecting the country’s supreme leader – has reached a preliminary agreement on the successor to the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This was stated by Ayatollah Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri, as quoted by the Mehr news agency.

Mirbaqeri said there is already a ‘more or less majority consensus’ on the new leader, although some obstacles still need to be resolved before a final decision can be made. Iranian media report that the Assembly of Experts could meet within a day to formally confirm the selection.

However, some clerics have indicated that a face-to-face meeting may not be possible under the current security conditions.

The search for a new leader comes after Israeli and American attacks since late February killed dozens of Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Khamenei. The strikes also damaged buildings associated with the Assembly of Experts in the city of Qom.

According to Iranian media, the candidate was also chosen in line with the late Khamenei’s recommendation that the supreme leader should be a figure ‘hated by enemies’.

Among the most frequently mentioned candidates for the succession is Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has close ties to the Revolutionary Guards and has long been an influential figure within Iran’s clerical establishment.

(reuters, max)