Ayatollah Arafi Becomes Interim Supreme Leader of Iran
Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi has been appointed as a jurist member of the Supreme Council, tasked with temporarily assuming the duties of the Supreme Leader of Iran, according to ISNA. He will hold this position until the election of a new supreme leader for the Islamic Republic. Previously, Iranian state agencies reported that until a new spiritual leader is chosen, Iran would be governed by a temporary council of experts, comprising the president, the head of the judiciary, and a member of the Guardian Council. Media outlets had named Arafi as a potential successor to the deceased Ali Khamenei. The 67-year-old Arafi is considered an influential Shiite religious figure and was a confidant of the late Ayatollah Khamenei. It was recently reported that the previous Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, died as a result of an attack by Israel and the United States on his residence. The strike was initially planned for nighttime but was rescheduled to await a meeting with high-ranking military officials. The CIA learned that on the morning of February 28, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was to meet with senior officials at his residence, The New York Times reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. During the attacks, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Seyed Abdulrahim Mousavi, Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Pakpour, and Iran's Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani also died, confirmed in Tehran.
