World · 1 March 2026
Who is Ayatollah Arafi appointed as Interim Leadership After Khamenei’s Death
Mostafameraji via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Iran has invoked Article 111 of its Constitution, forming a three-person interim leadership council following Ayatollah Khamenei’s killing. Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, 67, has been appointed as the Guardian Council’s jurist member on the council, alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Mohseni Ejei. Born in 1959, Arafi heads Iran’s Islamic Seminary system and is known as a trusted regime loyalist — educated, English and Arabic-speaking, and well versed in AI. The council is a temporary stopgap until the 88 member Assembly of Experts elects a permanent Supreme Leader.
Reported by Reuters / WION · How we write briefs