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By The South Asia Times

TEHRAN — Iran has activated its constitutional mechanism for a transition of power following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Saturday's US-Israeli airstrikes, forming a three-member interim council to oversee the government until a permanent successor is chosen by a clerical assembly.

The council, established under Article 111 of Iran's Constitution, consists of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a senior cleric from the powerful Guardian Council. The arrangement places Arafi, as the sole cleric among the trio, in a particularly influential position during the transition.

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani announced the formation in a state television interview Sunday, stating that "the council will be set up as soon as possible" to temporarily assume the leader's responsibilities. President Pezeshkian later confirmed that the interim council began its work Sunday.

- How Iran's succession process works

The assassination of Khamenei, who led Iran for nearly 37 years after succeeding the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, triggers a carefully prescribed constitutional process.

Under Iranian law, the 88-member Assembly of Experts  -- an elected body of senior Shiite clerics who serve eight-year terms -- bears the responsibility of selecting a new supreme leader "as soon as possible".

The assembly, however, operates under a critical constraint: all its members must be approved by the Guardian Council, a 12-member constitutional watchdog whose clerical members are directly appointed by the supreme leader himself.

This interconnected power structure means that Khamenei, before his death, exercised significant influence over the very body now charged with choosing his successor. The Assembly of Experts also holds the theoretical power to dismiss a sitting supreme leader, though this has never occurred.

The selection process unfolds behind closed doors, with a smaller committee within the assembly reportedly responsible for vetting and narrowing candidates before presenting a slate to the full body. Voting results are not made public.

- The vast powers of Iran's Supreme Leader

The supreme leader occupies the apex of Iran's complex power-sharing Shiite theocracy, holding final authority over all matters of state. The position combines political, military, and religious supremacy:

As commander-in-chief of Iran's armed forces, the supreme leader controls the regular military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a powerful paramilitary force that the United States designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2019. The IRGC, which Khamenei significantly empowered during his rule, leads Iran's self-described "Axis of Resistance" -- a network of groups and allies across the Middle East opposing U. and Israeli influence.

The leader also directly appoints six of the 12 members of the Guardian Council, which vets all legislation and election candidates -- a key mechanism for indirectly controlling both the legislative and executive branches.

Through the Expediency Council, which advises on national policy and settles parliamentary disputes, the supreme leader maintains additional influence over the legislative process.

Beyond these formal powers, the supreme leader serves as the ultimate religious authority for many Shia Muslims, making the position as much a spiritual office as a political one.

- Candidates for succession

With no publicly designated heir, several figures have emerged as potential successors, though deliberations remain shrouded in secrecy.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old second-oldest son of the slain leader, is widely viewed as a possible contender, despite never having held formal government office. He served during the Iran-Iraq War and has been linked to the Basij force that suppressed protests following the disputed 2009 election.

The US Treasury sanctioned him in 2019 "for representing the Supreme Leader in an official capacity despite never being elected or appointed". However, a father-to-son succession could prove controversial, with some Iranians and even system supporters viewing it as creating an un-Islamic religious dynasty reminiscent of the monarchy overthrown in 1979.

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, now serving on the interim council, brings substantial institutional credentials. Born in 1959 in Yazd province to a clerical family, Arafi moved to the religious center of Qom at age 11 for advanced studies. He rose steadily under Khamenei's patronage, serving as Friday prayer leader in Qom, chairman of Al-Mustafa International University (which trains non-Iranian clerics), and head of Iran's nationwide seminary system.

He holds dual membership in both the Assembly of Experts and the Guardian Council, placing him at the heart of the succession process itself.

Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the interim council's other member, previously served as intelligence minister from 2005 to 2009 and has held senior government positions since 1984. He is regarded as a key figure behind the suppression of recent nationwide protests.

Sadiq Larijani, chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council and a former chief justice, served as a close Khamenei aide and has long been considered a potential successor.

Born in Najaf, Iraq, he is the son of Grand Ayatollah Hashim Larijani and has attained the rank of Grand Ayatollah himself.

Grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamediani, aged 100, represents the hardline conservative clerical establishment. A vocal opponent of the Shah before the 1979 revolution, who was arrested multiple times by SAVAK secret police, he resides in Qom and remains an Assembly of Experts member.

Hassan Rouhani, the former president who served from 2013 to 2021, was barred from running for the Assembly of Experts in 2024 and holds no senior position, making his candidacy less likely despite his prior service in multiple high councils.

- How Iran Is functioning now?

Despite the decapitation strike that also assassinated several top military commanders -- including IRGC chief Mohammad Pakpour, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, and senior adviser Ali Shamkhani -- Iran's governmental structures continue operating.

The interim council now oversees essential state functions, including ensuring the supply of food, fuel, and other necessities during the crisis. Iran has declared 40 days of national mourning and a one-week temporary public holiday.