Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Article 111 sets out the succession procedure if the Supreme Leader dies or is unable to perform his duties. In such circumstances, a three-member council assumes the Leader’s powers until the Assembly of Experts selects a permanent successor.
The interim council consists of:
The interim council consists of the President, the Head of the Judiciary and a senior Islamic jurist drawn from the Guardian Council. Following Khamenei’s death, the body is composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Arafi as the designated jurist member.
Although some descriptions have referred to Arafi as interim Supreme Leader, constitutionally he is one part of a collective authority rather than the sole office holder.
Born in 1959 in Meybod in Yazd province, Arafi comes from a clerical background and was educated in Qom, Iran’s leading centre of Shia religious scholarship. Over decades, he rose through the country’s theological institutions and became firmly embedded within the Islamic Republic’s religious establishment.
His influence stems primarily from institutional religious authority rather than electoral politics. He serves as a member of the Guardian Council, the body responsible for vetting legislation and approving election candidates. He is also a member of the Assembly of Experts, the 88-member clerical body tasked with appointing and supervising the Supreme Leader.
In addition, Arafi heads Iran’s national seminary system and previously led Al-Mustafa International University, an institution overseeing religious education for clerics from Iran and abroad. His positions within both the Guardian Council and the Assembly of Experts placed him at the constitutional core of the state even before the succession process began.
Khamenei’s death marks only the second leadership transition since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Assembly of Experts is now required to appoint a permanent successor, though the timing may be shaped by security and political conditions.
Until that decision is taken, Arafi, alongside the president and judiciary chief, forms part of the temporary leadership guiding Iran through a period of significant domestic and regional tension.
The Milli Majlis Temporary Commission on Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats ...
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged to strengthen relations with Vietnam, with a focus on e...
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will raise tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union to 25%...
On 1 May, Azerbaijan summoned the European Union’s ambassador, Marijana Kujundžić, to the country’s for...
Trade between Colombia and Ecuador has fallen sharply after new tariffs were imposed, with business groups warning of mounting damage to the cross-...
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will raise tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union to 25% next week, up from the 15% level agreed last year, accusing the bloc of failing to comply with its trade commitments.
President Trump has issued a warning to the international community, claiming a nuclear-armed Iran would strike Israel "very quickly" before targeting Europe and the United States.
Azerbaijan won nine medals at the 2026 President Cup international regatta, held in Mingachevir and dedicated to Azerbaijan’s former president and national leader, Heydar Aliyev.
Preparations for Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to Kazakhstan were a central focus of talks in Astana between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Minval Politika has released further footage it says shows former International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo discussing alleged funding behind campaigns linked to Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned “foreigners who commit evil” have no place in the Gulf, outlining a “new phase” for the Strait of Hormuz, while a senior adviser said U.S. blockade efforts would fail and could trigger confrontation.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he was "not satisfied" with Iran's latest peace proposal, which was delivered to Washington via Pakistani mediators on Friday (1 May).
Dubai chef Shaw Lash at Mexican restaurant Lila Molino flies in her avocados and tomatillos, small, tart green fruits native to Central America that are a staple of Mexican cuisine and key for her colourful and spicy dishes.
A European Parliament resolution on Armenia is stirring debate beyond Brussels, with its wording raising concerns in Azerbaijan as peace talks gather momentum.
The Milli Majlis Temporary Commission on Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats has issued a statement warning of what it describes as an information campaign by pro-Armenian groups targeting Azerbaijan and the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process.
On 1 May, Azerbaijan summoned the European Union’s ambassador, Marijana Kujundžić, to the country’s foreign ministry in protest over a resolution adopted by the European Parliament a day earlier.
Pakistan has accused Afghan border forces of deliberately targeting civilians during renewed clashes along the border, saying at least nine people have been killed and 15 injured over the past two days.
Azerbaijan won nine medals at the 2026 President Cup international regatta, held in Mingachevir and dedicated to Azerbaijan’s former president and national leader, Heydar Aliyev.
Preparations for Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to Kazakhstan were a central focus of talks in Astana between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment