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A Look at Some of the Contenders to Be Iran’s Supreme Leader After the Killing of Khamenei

A picture of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei hangs on a black sheet along the side of a mosque in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP)
A picture of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei hangs on a black sheet along the side of a mosque in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP)
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A Look at Some of the Contenders to Be Iran’s Supreme Leader After the Killing of Khamenei

A picture of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei hangs on a black sheet along the side of a mosque in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP)
A picture of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei hangs on a black sheet along the side of a mosque in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP)

Iran's leaders are scrambling to replace Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years before he was killed in the surprise US and Israeli bombardment.

It's only the second time since the 1979 revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen. Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement.

The supreme leader has the final say on all major decisions, including war, peace and the country's disputed nuclear program.

In the meantime, a provisional governing council composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and senior cleric Ali Reza Arafi is guiding the country through its biggest crisis in decades. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that a new supreme leader would be chosen early this week.

The supreme leader is appointed by an 88-member panel called the Assembly of Experts, who by law are supposed to quickly name a successor. The panel consists of clerics who are popularly elected after their candidacies are approved by the Guardian Council, Iran’s constitutional watchdog.

Khamenei had major influence over both clerical bodies, making it unlikely the next leader will mark a radical departure.

Here are the top contenders.

Mojtaba Khamenei

The son of Khamenei, a mid-level cleric, is widely considered a potential successor. He has strong ties to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard but has never held office. His selection could prove awkward, as the regime has long criticized hereditary rule and cast itself as a more just alternative.

Ali Reza Arafi

Arafi is a member of the provisional government council. The senior cleric was handpicked by Khamenei to be a member of the Guardian Council in 2019, and three years later he was elected to the Assembly of Experts. He leads a network of seminaries.

Hassan Rouhani

Rouhani, a relative moderate, was president of Iran from 2013 to 2021 and reached the nuclear agreement with the Obama administration that US President Donald Trump scrapped during his first term. Rouhani served on the Assembly of Experts until 2024, when he said he was disqualified from running for reelection. Rouhani criticized it as an infringement on Iranians' political participation.

Hassan Khomeini

Khomeini is the most prominent grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Khomeini. He is also seen as a relative moderate, but has never held government office. He currently works at his grandfather’s mausoleum in Tehran.

Mohammed Mehdi Mirbagheri

Mirbagheri is a senior cleric popular with hard-liners who serves on the Assembly of Experts. He was close to the late Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a fellow hard-liner who wrote that Iran should not deprive itself of the right to produce “special weapons,” a veiled reference to nuclear arms.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mirbagheri denounced the closure of schools as a “conspiracy.”

He is currently the head of the Islamic Cultural Center in Qom, the main center for Islamic teaching in Iran.

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Pakistanis at Remote Border Describe Scramble to Leave Iran

A Pakistani national walks across the Pakistan-Iran border after returning from Iran at Taftan, Balochistan province on March 2, 2026. (AFP)
A Pakistani national walks across the Pakistan-Iran border after returning from Iran at Taftan, Balochistan province on March 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Pakistanis at Remote Border Describe Scramble to Leave Iran

A Pakistani national walks across the Pakistan-Iran border after returning from Iran at Taftan, Balochistan province on March 2, 2026. (AFP)
A Pakistani national walks across the Pakistan-Iran border after returning from Iran at Taftan, Balochistan province on March 2, 2026. (AFP)

Pakistani nationals hauled suitcases across the border from neighboring Iran, describing missiles being launched and travel chaos as they scrambled to leave the country after the US and Israel launched strikes over the weekend.

AFP journalists saw a steady trickle of people passing through large metal gates at the remote border crossing between Iran's Mirjaveh and Taftan in Pakistan's western Balochistan province.

Powerful explosions have rocked Iran's capital Tehran since Saturday, with embassies from countries around the world telling their citizens to leave.

"All our Pakistani brothers who were in Tehran and other cities had started to leave and were arriving at the terminal, which caused a lot of crowd pressure," 38-year-old trader Ameer Muhammad told AFP on Monday.

"Due to the crowds, there were major transport problems."

The isolated Taftan border lies around 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Balochistan's capital and largest city, Quetta.

AFP journalists saw the Iranian flag flying at half-mast as soldiers stood guard.

Most people wheeled bulky luggage over the frontier's foot crossing, while freight lorries formed a long line.

Irshad Ahmed, a 49-year-old pilgrim, told AFP he was staying at a hostel in Tehran when he saw missiles being fired nearby.

"There was an army base near the hostel, and we saw many missiles being fired," he said.

"After that, we went to the Pakistani embassy so that they could evacuate us from there. They brought us here safely."

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the killing of Ali Khamenei was a "violation" of international law.

"It is an age-old convention that the Heads of State/Government should not be targeted," Sharif wrote on X.

The "people of Pakistan join the people of Iran in their hour of grief and sorrow and extend the most sincere condolences on the martyrdom" of Khamenei, he added.

A teacher at Tehran's Pakistani embassy, who gave his name as Saqib, told AFP: "Before we left, the situation was normal. The situation was not that bad."

The 38-year-old said the strikes on Tehran on Saturday "pushed us to leave the city".

"The situation became bad on Saturday night, when attacks caused precious lives to be lost," he said.

Features

What to Know about the Latest US-Israeli Attacks on Iran

A ball of fire erupts following airstrikes near the headquarters of the Iranian Radio and Television Authority in Tehran yesterday (Reuters)
A ball of fire erupts following airstrikes near the headquarters of the Iranian Radio and Television Authority in Tehran yesterday (Reuters)
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What to Know about the Latest US-Israeli Attacks on Iran

A ball of fire erupts following airstrikes near the headquarters of the Iranian Radio and Television Authority in Tehran yesterday (Reuters)
A ball of fire erupts following airstrikes near the headquarters of the Iranian Radio and Television Authority in Tehran yesterday (Reuters)

The war in the Middle East expanded on multiple fronts Monday, with attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed militias hitting Israel and Arab states. A senior Iranian official signaled that there would be no negotiations with the United States, and the Iranian Red Crescent Society said at least 555 people have been killed so far in the Iranian Republic.

Strikes by Israel and the United States were happening in Iran, and Israeli forces were hitting targets in southern Lebanon where at least 31 were killed, in a war that began with the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. A strike in Iran on Monday apparently took Iranian state television off air.

Fallout from the fighting has been felt around the globe, with canceled flights, deadly protests and suspended shipping and stock markets. Reaction has ranged from jubilation to condemnation. The joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which started Saturday, stoked fears of a wider war and damage to the world economy.

As Israeli strikes targeted Tehran, Iran fired drones and missiles at Israel and sites around the Gulf. Three close US allies — Britain, France and Germany— said they were ready to defend their interests in the region.

Trump said in a video posted Sunday that the operation in Iran — “one of the most complex, most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen” — will continue until “all of our objectives” are achieved.

Iran’s provisional governing council is expected to name a new supreme leader. Iran’s theocracy has struggled with growing dissent following nationwide protests over the economy that morphed into anti-government ones.

Khamenei killed in one of first strikes Israel said it had worked with the United States for months to plan the attacks. The US military said targets in Iran included Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.

One of the first strikes hit near the offices of the 86-year-old Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989 and held ultimate power. Iranian state media reported Khamenei’s death, without details. Israel said that it also killed dozens of other top Iranian military officials.

The Trump administration has asserted that Iran had been rebuilding its nuclear program, which Tehran has insisted is for peaceful purposes.

Witnesses said an attack Monday in northern Tehran’s Niavaran neighborhood struck one of the transmitters used for Iranian state TV. Since then, its satellite signals have dropped. Iran has not offered any details on its materiel losses.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that in addition to at least 555 deaths, 131 cities have come under attack so far in the war.

Iran strikes Israel and US bases in retaliation A top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, said Monday on social media: “We will not negotiate with the United States.”

Iran launched retaliatory missiles and drones targeting Israel and nearby Arab Gulf countries hosting US forces. Three US service members have been killed, according to US Central Command.

Several US warplanes crashed Monday in Kuwait, the country’s defense ministry said, with all the pilots safely bailing out. It did not elaborate on what caused the crashes but it came during an intense period of Iranian fire targeting the country. The US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The island kingdom of Bahrain said Monday that one person was killed by shrapnel from an intercepted missile.

Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, says it has intercepted 61 missiles and 34 attack drones launched against it. Some fire has gotten through, striking buildings and the naval base.

Eleven people have been killed in Israel as loud explosions caused by missile impacts or interceptions could be heard in Tel Aviv. Israel’s rescue services said that nine people were killed and more wounded in a strike that hit a synagogue in the central town of Beit Shemesh.

Iran’s foreign minister has suggested his country’s military units are acting independently from any central government control after being pressed about attacks on Gulf Arab nations that have served as intermediaries for Tehran in the past.

An Iraqi Shiite militia claimed a drone attack Monday targeting US troops at the airport in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.

Fire and smoke poured out of the US Embassy compound in Kuwait after an Iranian attack on the small Mideast nation Monday. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed the smoke with an alarm wailing.

Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery came under attack Monday from drones, the kingdom’s defense ministry said, with authorities downing the incoming aircraft.

Israel hits Lebanon, orders people to leave villages Israel’s Chief of Staff says the military has launched an offensive campaign in Lebanon that could include “many prolonged days of combat ahead.” Hezbollah launched several rockets and drones toward Israel overnight, and Israel responded by striking dozens of targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon. Israel also recommended that residents of 53 villages in southern Lebanon evacuate, causing massive traffic jams.

Israel is keeping “all options on the table” for a possible ground operation in Lebanon, according to Israel’s military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin.

Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon after Hezbollah attacked it have killed at least 31 people, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Monday. The Health Ministry said that the strikes also wounded 149 people. It said about two thirds of the dead were in southern Lebanon.

The war reverberates around the world At least 22 people were killed in clashes with police in northern Pakistan and in the southern port city of Karachi after hundreds of protesters stormed the US Consulate there, authorities said.

Shipping companies suspended their vessels’ traffic through the Suez Canal. The strikes could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran makes the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. A fifth of worldwide traded oil passes through the strait.

There were global repercussions from disrupted air travel in the region, with hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace.

The United Arab Emirates said it is shutting the country’s main stock exchanges for the start of the trading week.

Features

A Look at Iran’s Key Political and Religious Figures

This combo of file photos show Iran's key political and religious figures, top row, from left, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Khamenei Adviser on Public Policy Ali Larijani, Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, Head of Assembly Experts Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani and Secretary of Guardian Council Ahmad Jannati, bottom row, from left, Khamenei's Chief of Staff Mohammad Golpayegani, Khamenei Adviser on International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati, Khamenei Adviser on Foreign Policy Kamal Kharazi, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran Friday Prayer Imam Ahmad Khatami and Son of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. (AP Photo/File)
This combo of file photos show Iran's key political and religious figures, top row, from left, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Khamenei Adviser on Public Policy Ali Larijani, Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, Head of Assembly Experts Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani and Secretary of Guardian Council Ahmad Jannati, bottom row, from left, Khamenei's Chief of Staff Mohammad Golpayegani, Khamenei Adviser on International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati, Khamenei Adviser on Foreign Policy Kamal Kharazi, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran Friday Prayer Imam Ahmad Khatami and Son of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. (AP Photo/File)
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A Look at Iran’s Key Political and Religious Figures

This combo of file photos show Iran's key political and religious figures, top row, from left, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Khamenei Adviser on Public Policy Ali Larijani, Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, Head of Assembly Experts Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani and Secretary of Guardian Council Ahmad Jannati, bottom row, from left, Khamenei's Chief of Staff Mohammad Golpayegani, Khamenei Adviser on International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati, Khamenei Adviser on Foreign Policy Kamal Kharazi, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran Friday Prayer Imam Ahmad Khatami and Son of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. (AP Photo/File)
This combo of file photos show Iran's key political and religious figures, top row, from left, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Khamenei Adviser on Public Policy Ali Larijani, Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, Head of Assembly Experts Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani and Secretary of Guardian Council Ahmad Jannati, bottom row, from left, Khamenei's Chief of Staff Mohammad Golpayegani, Khamenei Adviser on International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati, Khamenei Adviser on Foreign Policy Kamal Kharazi, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran Friday Prayer Imam Ahmad Khatami and Son of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. (AP Photo/File)

The US and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, and US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the regime leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei died in the attack, along with other high-ranking military officials. Trump on social media called it “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country” hours before Iranian state media reported the death, without elaborating on a cause.

Yet even if Iran’s top leaders were killed, regime change is not guaranteed.

Here is a look at Iran's top political and spiritual leaders.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

In 1989, Khamenei became Iran's supreme leader after the death of Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Khamenei played an important role in the movement that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the 1979 revolution.

The 86-year-old Khamenei is Iran's commander-in-chief, who has the final say on all policy and religious matters. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the force that safeguards the republic, answers directly to him.

Khamenei has been in charge during previous crackdowns on protesters in Iran. He recently said Iran was ready to retaliate against any American attack.

One of the first strikes Saturday hit near Khamenei's offices. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency reported the 86-year-old’s death on Sunday, hours after Trump said Khamenei was killed in a joint American-Israeli operation.

President Masoud Pezeshkian

The president of Iran is broadly seen as a reformist. A former heart surgeon, Pezeshkian took office on July 28, 2024. The president is the second-highest ranking official in Iran, acting as the head of government that handles daily administration, economic policy and implements the Supreme Leader's decrees.

Iranians elect a president and parliament for four-year terms.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

Iran's foreign minister is a longtime diplomat and was a key negotiator in the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal. He was appointed on Aug. 21, 2024.

Days before Saturday's attack, Araghchi warned that a conflict with the US would be “a devastating war” and reiterated Tehran’s interest in a peaceful solution ahead of this week's high-stakes talks.

Khamenei Adviser on Public Policy Ali Larijani

Larijani hails from one of Iran's most famous political families. A former parliamentary speaker and senior policy adviser, he was appointed to advise Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with the Trump administration.

In January, the US imposed additional sanctions against Iranian officials, including Larijani, who were accused of repressing nationwide protests challenging Iran’s theocratic government.

The US Treasury Department accused him of being one of the first officials to call for violence against Iranian protesters.

Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi

A conservative jurist and hard-line prosecutor, Mohseni Ejehi has been chief justice since 2021. He is widely regarded as a Khamenei loyalist.

Mohseni Ejehi was quoted by state media in January as saying that there would be “no leniency” for those behind the wave of unrest.

Head of Assembly of Experts Mohammad-Ali Movahedi Kermani

Movahedi Kermani is the head of the 88-seat clerical body responsible for appointing the next Supreme Leader. The Assembly of Experts is Iran's version of the Vatican's College of Cardinals.

Secretary of Guardian Council Ahmad Jannati

Jannati is the de facto leader of Iran's Guardian Council, a 12-member body that vets candidates for office as well as legislation, and rules out individuals it believes are incompatible with Iran’s theocratic system. It consists of six Islamic theologians and six legal experts.

The council can disqualify presidential candidates who are perceived as not being aligned with the Supreme Leader.

Khamenei's Chief of Staff Mohammad Golpayegani

Golpayegani is a cleric and longtime confidant of Khamenei. He heads the Supreme Leader's office.

Khamenei Adviser on International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati

A physician by training, Velayati was previously Iran's foreign minister, and is a top adviser to Khamenei on international affairs. He is involved in the country's nuclear policy.

Khamenei Adviser on Foreign Policy Kamal Kharazi

Kharazi is a trusted adviser to Khamenei on foreign policy, especially during the recent nuclear talks with Washington.

A former diplomat and foreign minister, Kharazi previously represented Iran at the United Nations. He has held numerous governmental, diplomatic and academic posts.

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref

Aref serves as one of the primary deputies to the president and leads cabinet meetings when the president is absent. He liaises between the president and parliament.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

A former mayor of Tehran and Revolutionary Guard general, Ghalibaf was reelected parliamentary speaker on May 27, 2025. He is a conservative politician who was linked to student crackdowns in 1999 and 2003.

Tehran Friday Prayer Imam Ahmad Khatami

Khatami belongs to Iran's 12-member Guardian Council and is an influential prayer leader and religious figure loyal to the Supreme Leader. He is a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and has long been known for his hard-line views.

In January, Khatami called for the death penalty for protesters detained in a nationwide crackdown, and described those taking part in the unrest as “butlers” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “Trump’s soldiers.”

Son of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei

Khamenei's second-eldest son is a midranking cleric and the Supreme Leader's rumored successor. He has close ties with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Mojtaba served in the armed forces during the Iran-Iraq war, and is said to wield influence behind the scenes as his father's gatekeeper.

Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh

Nasirzadeh became defense minister in 2024 after serving in leadership roles in Iran's army and air force and was among the Iranian ministers who threatened retaliatory strikes on US bases in the Middle East, including before last June's US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Israel said on Saturday that he was killed in the war's opening strikes that hit locations where military leaders were gathered. Iranian state television confirmed his death on Sunday, along with Iran’s chief of army staff, Gen. Abdol Rahim Mousavi.