Majority consensus reached on Khamenei successor, MNA reports
KATHMANDU: The Assembly of Experts in Iran has reached a majority consensus on a successor to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the transition process is not yet complete, Tehran-based Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported, according to ANI.
Quoting Assembly of Experts member Mirbaqeri, MNA said that while a ‘majority consensus over Khamenei’s successor has been reached’, ‘some obstacles regarding the process need to be resolved’.
Iran’s leadership council told state media on Wednesday that a successor would be appointed at the earliest opportunity, the council said.
In a video shared by the Tasnim News Agency, an official told state television that ‘no problem has arisen in the field of leadership’. He confirmed the leadership council is currently running the country and added, "Praise be to God, we have come closer, but the situation is one of war."
The official contrasted the current crisis with the transition following Ayatollah Khomeini’s death, saying the immediate appointment then was possible because the environment was not a ‘war situation’. He emphasised that the Assembly of Experts is now ‘striving’ despite ongoing hostilities.
The Iranian government, via its Consulate General in Mumbai, dismissed reports in Israeli media suggesting Mojtaba Khamenei had been named as his late father’s successor. In a post on X the consulate said: ‘Reports circulating on media regarding potential candidates for leadership selected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts have no official source and are officially denied.’ No independent confirmation has appeared from official Iranian state media.
State media has reported that citizens will bid farewell to the late Supreme Leader in a ceremony scheduled for tonight at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini prayer ground. The ceremony is expected to last for three days, with the final funeral procession to be announced once it is finalised.
The regional conflict has escalated for more than a week following US and Israeli strikes that killed Ayatollah Khamenei and other key figures. In retaliation, Tehran has launched counter-strikes targeting American military bases and Israeli assets across the region.
(Compiled)
