Iran set to announce new Supreme Leader despite Israeli military’s warning to target any successor

Iran is preparing to announce a new supreme leader after the death of long-time leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with tensions escalating after the Israeli military warned it could target whoever replaces him.

Iranian state media reported that a successor has already been chosen and will be announced soon by the country’s powerful clerical body responsible for selecting the leader.

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Khamenei, who had led the Islamic Republic since 1989, was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran on 28 February, part of a broader military campaign targeting senior Iranian officials during the escalating regional conflict.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran established a temporary three-member leadership council to oversee state affairs while the process of selecting a new supreme leader takes place.

According to reports cited by Sky News, the council includes Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s reformist president, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, head of the judiciary and Alireza Arafi, a senior cleric and head of the Basij paramilitary force. The arrangement was designed to maintain continuity of government during the transition period.

Under Iran’s political system, the Assembly of Experts, an influential body of 88 Islamic scholars, is responsible for appointing the country’s supreme leader.

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According to reports, Senior cleric Sayyid Ahmad Alam Alhoda told Iranian state media that the successor has already been chosen and that the assembly will soon make the official announcement.

Although Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed the identity of the new leader, speculation has centred on Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the slain leader.

He has long been considered one of the strongest candidates for the position because of his close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and his influence within Iran’s clerical establishment, according to international media reports.

The leadership transition is unfolding amid intensifying hostilities between Iran-US-Israel. The Israeli military has warned it would “pursue every successor” to Khamenei, signalling that any new leader could also become a target if the conflict continues.

The threat was reportedly posted in Farsi on the social media platform X and directed not only at potential successors but also at those involved in selecting Iran’s next leader.

Israel’s defence minister had earlier suggested that any successor who continues Iran’s policies could become a target for assassination, reflecting the escalating rhetoric surrounding the war.

The position of supreme leader is Iran’s most powerful office, with authority over the armed forces, judiciary, state media and key political institutions.

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The choice of a successor will shape Iran’s domestic politics and its relations with the West at a time when the region faces one of its most dangerous military confrontations in decades.

As the Assembly of Experts prepares to formally announce the new leader, the leadership transition is expected to play a decisive role in determining how Iran responds to the ongoing conflict and international pressure.