World · 1 March 2026
Iran's next leader: A son, a hardliner, or Khomeini's grandson?
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The killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has left Iran without a declared successor, triggering a constitutional process in which an 88-member body of Shiite clerics, the Assembly of Experts, must select a new leader as soon as possible. Until then, a provisional council consisting of the president, chief justice and a Guardian Council cleric will exercise interim leadership duties. Potential candidates named by analysts include Khamenei's son Mojtaba, hardline cleric Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, and Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the Islamic Republic's founder.
Reported by AP / PBS NewsHour · How we write briefs