Iran has appointed an acting supreme leader following a sharp escalation in regional tensions and the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli military strike. Ayatollah Alireza Arafi was named to the position, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Arafi previously served on the country’s governing bodies as a legal scholar and will act as head of state until a new supreme leader of the Islamic Republic is formally elected.
Read also: Iran’s looming power struggle: The contenders to succeed Khamenei.
Iranian state media reported earlier that authority during the transition would pass to a temporary council composed of the president, the head of the judiciary and a representative of the Guardian Council.
Arafi, 67, is considered an influential figure within the Shiite clergy and was widely viewed as a trusted ally of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He has served as a member of the Guardian Council since 2019 and gained attention for hard-line statements during nationwide protests in 2022. A prolific religious author, he is also fluent in English.
Military escalation
Iranian authorities said Khamenei was killed in a military operation carried out by Israel and the U.S.
Officials also reported the deaths of senior security figures, including Iran’s Defense Council secretary Ali Shamkhani and Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The country declared a 40-day period of national mourning.
On Feb. 28, U.S. and Israeli officials announced the start of military operations targeting Iran. Israel referred to its campaign as Roaring Lion, while U.S. officials used the name Epic Fury.
Iran responded with missile strikes targeting locations in Persian Gulf states hosting U.S. military facilities, according to official statements.
Following Khamenei’s death, Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi called for jihad against Israel and the U.S., Iranian media reported.
Public reaction
Thousands of mourners gathered in central Tehran to honor the late supreme leader. State television showed crowds carrying Iranian flags and portraits of Khamenei while chanting anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans during memorial demonstrations.
