Iran has appointed an acting Supreme Leader after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a result of a joint US and Israeli airstrike on Tehran, Iranian agency IRNA reports.
Senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been appointed as Iran’s acting Supreme Leader. Under the country’s constitution, he has joined the temporary leadership council, which will perform the duties of head of state until a successor is elected.
The council also includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei. This body will jointly govern the country during the transfer of power.
The large-scale strikes also led to the elimination of the top leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Reports indicate that Commander-in-Chief General Mohammad Pakpour was killed.
Ahmad Vahidi has been appointed as the new head of the IRGC. The Corps is considered Iran’s most powerful institution, overseeing not only military matters but also political and economic processes, operating separately from the regular armed forces.
