POWER, PIETY AND POLITICS: WHO WILL LEAD IRAN

Iran enters a decisive transition as clerics move to select a new supreme leader, shaping the country’s politics, security strategy, and regional influence for decades.

- TDG NETWORK

Clerics walk past a wall with a poster of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after offering their condolences following his killing in Israeli and US strikes, at the office of the supreme leader's representative in Najaf, Iraq.

The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei marks one of the most consequential political turning points in the Islamic Republic’s history.

For nearly four decades, Khamenei stood at the apex of Iran’s hybrid political-religious system, wielding ultimate authority over the military, judiciary, state broadcasting, intelligence services and broad contours of foreign policy. His passing triggers a constitutional mechanism that is both structured and opaque — a process designed to preserve continuity while concentrating power within clerical institutions.

This explainer breaks down how Iran chooses its supreme leader, who holds authority in the interim, the names circulating as potential successors, and why the stakes extend far beyond Tehran.

Iran's system is built around the doctrine of wilayat-e fagih — guardianship of the Islamic jurist — first articulated by Ruhollah Khomeini, the architect of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Under this doctrine, ultimate political authority rests with a senior Islamic jurist who ensures governance aligns with Islamic law.

@ The heads of the armed forces, including the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

@ The judiciary chief Half the members of the Guardian Council

@ Senior commanders of the military and police

He also has the final say on war and peace, strategic foreign alliances, nuclear policy and intelligence operations. While Iran elects a president and parliament, those institutions function within parameters defined by the supreme leader.

Since 1979, Iran has had only two supreme leaders: Khomeini and Khamenei. That rarity underscores why this succession matters so profoundly.