Israel has reportedly struck the headquarters of the Assembly of Experts, the institution responsible for selecting the successor of Ali Khamenei.
The Supreme Leader of Iran is chosen by an eighty eight member group of senior Shiite clerics. This procedure is defined in the Constitution and has only taken place once since the revolution, when Ali Khamenei was appointed in 1989 after the death of Ruhollah Khomeini.
Interim authority has now shifted to a three person leadership council made up of the President, Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and a senior cleric representing the Guardian Council, Alireza Arafi. This council manages core responsibilities until a new Supreme Leader is confirmed.
The Assembly of Experts is required by the Constitution to convene as soon as possible to select the next leader. Its members are elected every eight years, yet all candidates must be screened and approved by the twelve member Guardian Council. Only male Shiite clerics can stand for consideration, and they are assessed based on their mastery of Islamic jurisprudence, political and social judgement, administrative capacity, piety and personal qualities.
The Assembly conducts an internal vote and chooses the new Supreme Leader by simple majority. The selected individual serves for life unless the Assembly removes him for incapacity or other constitutional grounds.
Analysts frequently identify two leading contenders for the position: Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the current Supreme Leader, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, who already sits on the interim leadership council.
