Iran is now racing to install a new supreme leader after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed earlier this week in a joint U.S.–Israeli military strike, according to state broadcasts and officials inside Tehran.
Under the Islamic Republic’s constitution, the Assembly of Experts — a group of senior clerics — is responsible for selecting the nation’s supreme leader once that office becomes vacant. Over the past several days, Iranian state media and senior officials said the constitutional transition process had begun, with an interim leadership council already formed to temporarily guide the country until a permanent successor is chosen.
However, the process has hit major obstacles as Israeli military forces carried out strikes on the very institutions involved in Iran’s leadership transition. On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that airstrikes — conducted in cooperation with U.S. forces — hit buildings in the holy city of Qom that house Iran’s Assembly of Experts just as senior clerics were reportedly meeting to decide the next supreme leader.
The targeted body has the constitutional authority to appoint, oversee, or remove a supreme leader, making it central to Iran’s political continuity after Khamenei’s death. According to Iranian news outlets, the strike caused significant damage to the structure, though there were conflicting claims about whether meetings were underway at the time and whether any members were inside.
Israeli officials have openly stated that the timing of the attack was intentional, aiming to disrupt or delay Iran’s ability to choose Khamenei’s successor amid the ongoing regional conflict. One defense source told Reuters that Israeli forces struck the site while votes were allegedly being counted on candidates for supreme leader, underscoring how closely military actions are now tied to the political battle inside Iran.
Inside Tehran, authorities have moved quickly to maintain continuity. An interim leadership council — including the Iranian president, the head of the judiciary and senior clerics — has been officially running the state’s affairs while the Assembly of Experts works to name a new supreme leader. Iranian foreign officials said the transition process may conclude rapidly, possibly “within days,” even under wartime conditions.
The combination of constitutional process and external military pressure highlights a critical tug-of-war: Tehran is striving to follow its legal procedures for leadership succession, while Israeli attacks are designed to break the momentum of that process and keep Iran politically weaker and divided.
This dramatic interference in Iran’s internal mechanisms reflects how the ongoing military conflict has now spilled into political power struggles, increasing uncertainty about how — and when — Iran’s next supreme leader will be revealed, and whether the process can proceed smoothly under persistent military strain.
Watch video below :
