Monday March 2, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng
Senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been appointed as Iran’s acting Supreme Leader following the formation of an interim leadership arrangement.
The appointment followed a decision by the Expediency Discernment Council, which elected Arafi as the jurist member of the Guardian Council within the newly constituted Leadership Council.
The Leadership Council is responsible for carrying out the duties of the Supreme Leader pending the selection of a permanent successor by the Assembly of Experts.
Arafi, 67, currently serves as a member of the influential Guardian Council and was confirmed as part of the three-member interim leadership body tasked with overseeing state affairs during the transition period.
Under the arrangement, he will serve alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, who together will exercise leadership responsibilities until a new Supreme Leader is formally appointed.
The interim structure is mandated under Iranian law to ensure continuity of governance while the Assembly of Experts deliberates on a permanent successor to the late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
(AFP)
