A new leaked video released for the first time on Tuesday revealed circumstances surrounding the election of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as Rouhollah Khomeini’s successor and the large role that late President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani played in this regard.
The 20-minute recording disclosed details of an emergency closed-door session of the Assembly of Experts a few hours after the death of the supreme leader on June 3, 1989.
Khamenei appears in the video as refusing to be nominated as Khomeini’s successor, saying he was not qualified for the leadership of Iran.
“First of all, we should shed tears of blood wailing for the Islamic society that has been forced to even propose me,” he was seen in the video as saying.
However, Rafsanjani, who headed the secret session, was determined to nominate Khamenei as Khomeini’s the successor.
The Assembly of Experts then voted on Khamenei’s nomination despite his objection that he was not legally qualified for the position.
This is the first time that evidences proves that Khamenei lacks the needed qualifications to head the “Wilayat al-Faqih”.
The timing of the video’s release, 28 years after Khomeini’s death, comes at a time of widespread anti-government protests in Iran that have demanded over the past two weeks the departure of Khamenei.
The timing also coincides with the first annual anniversary of the death of Rafsanjani, who is considered as a reference to the reformist and moderate movement in Iran, represented by current President Hassan Rouhani.
US-based Iranian journalist Shahed Alawi released the video. He told media outlets that he posted it on social media after making sure it was accurate, refusing to uncover the identity of the party who provided him with the recording.
