The death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after almost 37 years in power raises paramount questions about the country’s future. As outlined in its constitution, Iran on Sunday formed a council to assume leadership duties and govern the country. A father-to-son transfer in the case of a supreme leader could spark anger, not only among Iranians already critical of clerical rule, but also among supporters of the system. There has been only one other transfer of power in the office of supreme leader of Iran, the paramount decision-maker since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The supreme leader is at the heart of Iran’s complex power-sharing Shiite theocracy and has final say over all matters of state.

Source: Irish Examiner March 01, 2026 14:11 UTC