Ayatollah Alireza Arafi appointed to Iran's Leadership Council that will fulfill supreme leader's role

This comes after killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint operation conducted by the United States and Israel

Iran on Sunday announced that Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as a member of the temporary Leadership Council that will fulfill the supreme leader's role following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint operation conducted by the United States and Israel on Saturday.

Arafi, a cleric of the Guardian Council, has been appointed in the temporary Leadership Council alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice ​Gholamhossein Mohseni ​Ejei.

This comes after Iran activated Article 111 of its Constitution after Khamenei’s assassination. This triggered an emergency leadership arrangement, consisting a three-member council that assumes the roles and powers of the supreme leader until a permanent successor is chosen.

As the only cleric in the Council, Arafi becomes the senior figure among the trio.

Arafi is a senior member in Iran's clerical hierarchy. He was born in 1957 and has held several key posts at once in the past.

He heads Iran’s national network of Islamic seminaries, serves as a clerical member of the Guardian Council and sits on the Assembly of Experts.

Meanwhile, the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced a new leader following its Commander-in-Chief, Gen Mohammad Pakpour's assassination.

Ahmad Vahidi has been appointed as the new IRGC chief, according to Iranian state media.

The IRGC is one of Iran’s most powerful institutions, with major military, political and economic influence, and operates separately from the country’s regular armed forces.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed

US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the death of Khamenei, which was later confirmed by both Israel and Iran.

The US and Israel carried out a joint operation on Iran on Saturday, which targeted top leaders and military officials.

Khamenei had become Iran's highest authority in 1989, following the death of ​the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah ⁠Khomeini.

As the supreme leader, Khamenei had the ultimate control over Iran's political, military and religious institutions, shaping domestic policy and guiding foreign relations.

Israel saw him as a dangerous force in West Asia, citing his backing for Iran's network ⁠of militant allies, including ‌Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

He followed the conservative vision of his predecessor, Khomeini, quashing ‌the ambitions of elected presidents who sought more open policies at home ‌and abroad.

Under his rule, authorities crushed repeated protests and sidelined reformists pushing for less confrontation with the West.

Iran emerged as a powerful anti-US force under Khamenei, extending its influence across West Asia.

He backed the ⁠2015 nuclear deal brokered with world powers and pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, which briefly eased Iran's isolation. However, tensions rose after Trump abandoned the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.