Who is Ayatollah Arafi? Senior cleric named Iran’s interim Supreme Leader after Khamenei’s death

Iran names Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to interim council as power dynamics shift after Khamenei’s killing

Iran on Sunday appointed Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to its interim Leadership Council following the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

"The Expediency Discernment Council has elected Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as a member of the interim leadership council," said Expediency Council spokesman Mohsen Dehnavi in a post on X.

The three-member council, which by law assumes leadership duties until a successor is chosen, also includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei. It will govern until the Assembly of Experts "elects a permanent leader as soon as possible".

Who is Ayatollah Alireza Arafi?

Born in 1959, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi (67) is a senior figure in Iran’s clerical establishment and has held several influential roles within the country’s religious and political institutions. Before his appointment to the interim body, he served as director of Iran’s Islamic Seminary system, was a member of the Assembly of Experts, and sat as a jurist on the Guardian Council.

Based in Qom’s clerical establishment, Arafi is considered a well-educated insider within the Islamic Republic. He is fluent in Arabic and English and previously headed Al-Mustafa International University, an institution focused on Iran’s religious outreach abroad.

He joins the provisional leadership body as the Guardian Council’s designated jurist member, tasked with helping carry out the Supreme Leader’s responsibilities during the transition period.

Arafi’s appointment was confirmed by the Expediency Council, a key arbitration body in Iran’s political system. As a member of the Guardian Council — the constitutional watchdog expected to play a role in selecting the next supreme leader — he remains positioned within the framework that will shape the succession process.

Meanwhile, uncertainty surrounds the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after its commander-in-chief was assassinated for the second time in less than a year. No formal successor has been announced.

However, IRGC-linked Telegram channels have named deputy chief Ahmad Vahidi, appointed by Khamenei two months ago, as a potential contender. Security figure Ali Larijani is also expected to hold significant influence, though the balance of power remains fluid as the transition unfolds.