Iran’s temporary leadership council is facing pressure to swiftly appoint a brand new supreme leader, based on reports.
The nation’s Assembly of Experts could meet inside a day to decide on the following leader, after former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86 was killed by US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.
One assembly member, Ayatollah Hossein Mozafari, suggested that the clerics would shortly convene.
It’s unclear whether the 88-member council would meet in person or online, with some consultations having been conducted remotely.
Since Khamenei’s assassination, Iran has been led by a three-person council comprising of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi.
It comes as state media quoted Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi saying a brand new supreme leader would help ‘higher organise the country’s affairs’.
One other grand ayatollah, Hossein Nouri Hamedan, urged for the strategy of choosing a brand new leader to be accelerated.
Amongst frontrunners for the highest job is the late supreme leader’s son Mojtaba Khamenei.
The younger Khamenei, 56, has a background in Islamic theology and ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Each his mother, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh and his wife Zahra Adel were reportedly killed within the airstrikes.
His views are considered to be hardline conservative and, despite having never held a proper office, he’s regarded as essentially the most influential of Khamenei Sr’s children.
Under the principles of Iran’s structure, a brand new supreme leader should be chosen inside three months.
Donald Trump reiterated his demand on Saturday to be involved within the collection of Khamenei’s successor.
Nevertheless Iran’s UN ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani insisted the method can be concluded ‘with none foreign interference’.
Pictures of the late Khamenei were held up by protesters at a ‘Stop The War’ march against the strikes on Iran in central London on Saturday.
Because the conflict entered its second week, Iran apologised to Gulf neighbours, insisting that no further strikes can be targeted at those countries unless an attack originated from them, while vowing to proceed attacks on US and Israeli assets.
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