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.
Donald Trump has said the U.S. will resume bombing Iran if Tehran doesn't "behave," at the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. Earlier, the U.S. ...
The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Abdolnasser Hemmati, is visiting Russia to strengthen bilateral monetary and banking relations as Tehr...
Britain has announced an additional £8 million ($11 million) to help Pakistan combat illegal migration, human trafficking and organised crime, while ...
The Netherlands has announced a new €500 million military support package for Ukraine, focused on drones and air defence systems, as Western allies ...
China has condemned new UK sanctions against two Chinese companies accused of supplying materials used by Russia's military, calling the measures ille...
The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Abdolnasser Hemmati, is visiting Russia to strengthen bilateral monetary and banking relations as Tehran and Moscow seek closer financial cooperation amid Western sanctions.
Britain has announced an additional £8 million ($11 million) to help Pakistan combat illegal migration, human trafficking and organised crime, while praising Islamabad's role in diplomacy that helped secure the recent U.S.-Iran agreement.
The Netherlands has announced a new €500 million military support package for Ukraine, focused on drones and air defence systems, as Western allies intensify efforts to strengthen Kyiv's position in its war against Russia.
The UK has secured more than £1.3 billion in new international investment for battery storage, energy infrastructure and technology projects, with major commitments from companies based in France and India.
Donald Trump has said the U.S. will resume bombing Iran if Tehran doesn't "behave," at the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. Earlier, the U.S. President criticised Israel for its tactics against Hezbollah, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to tackle militants.
A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring four, according to emergency authorities.
U.S. President Donald Trump said a preliminary agreement to end the war in the Gulf has been signed by the U.S. and Iran, though details have yet to be made public and both countries said a permanent truce is yet to be negotiated.
Australia's weather bureau warned on Tuesday that an El Niño weather pattern has formed in the tropical Pacific and could intensify in the second half of 2026, becoming one of the strongest events recorded in seven decades.
Ukraine has said it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Moscow region, marking one of the deepest reported attacks into Russian territory in recent months.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Abdolnasser Hemmati, is visiting Russia to strengthen bilateral monetary and banking relations as Tehran and Moscow seek closer financial cooperation amid Western sanctions.
Britain has announced an additional £8 million ($11 million) to help Pakistan combat illegal migration, human trafficking and organised crime, while praising Islamabad's role in diplomacy that helped secure the recent U.S.-Iran agreement.
Kazakhstan will begin routing selected government expenditures worth more than 100 million tenge ($190,000) through its digital tenge platform, expanding the use of the central bank digital currency to strengthen oversight of public spending.
Documentary filmmaker Mikael Silkeberg has said that making a film exploring connections between Scandinavia and Azerbaijan helped him better understand his own mixed Nordic identity.
Three flags, one training ground and a clear message: defence cooperation in the South Caucasus remains firmly on track. Elite special operations units from Georgia, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have gathered in Mukhrovani for the latest edition of the Caucasian Eagle military exercise.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment