Iran Nears Agreement on Choosing Next Supreme Leader…Succession Talks in Final Stretch

Internal deliberations in Iran over selecting the next Supreme Leader are reported to have entered their final stage.

According to Al Jazeera on the 8th (local time), there is said to be broad agreement within Iran’s Assembly of Experts—the body empowered under the constitution to choose the Supreme Leader—on a successor.

Ayatollah Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, a member of the Assembly of Experts, said in an online video that “a firm unanimous view has been presented regarding Khamenei’s successor.” He added, however, that “some obstacles remain in difficult circumstances,” explaining that a cautious process will be needed until a final decision is made.

Iranian media reported that there are some differences of opinion within the Assembly of Experts over whether to finalize the decision through an in-person meeting. The Assembly of Experts is a constitutional body composed of 88 clerics and holds the authority to select the Supreme Leader.

In connection with the matter, the Israeli military issued a warning message about the succession process in a Persian-language statement on social media X. The Israeli military said, “There is a move to select a new leader after Khamenei is removed,” adding, “We will continue to track not only the successor but also those involved in the selection process.”

Earlier, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei died on the 28th of last month in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, and discussions within Iran over the succession arrangement have continued since.

A leading candidate for the next Supreme Leader is widely cited as Khamenei’s second son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Mojtaba is known as a figure with significant influence within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the intelligence services, and has long been mentioned as a potential successor.

However, U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States should be involved in Iran’s Supreme Leader succession arrangement and has previously remarked that Mojtaba Khamenei is “unacceptable.”