March 12, 2026 11:15 pm (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
America’s flip-flop on Russian oil: How Washington sends conflicting signals to India | Big diplomatic win! Iran allows Indian oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz | ‘It was over in the first hour’: Trump declares victory in Iran war, says ‘nothing left to target’ | Indian-origin shopkeepers face targeted attacks in Wembley; Somali men suspected | Iran pulls out of 2026 FIFA World Cup amid war with US-Israel | Supreme Court allows first-ever passive euthanasia for 32-year-old man in coma for 13 years | As Iran-US war disrupts global gas supply, India issues guidelines to manage shortages | LPG crisis hits metros: Commercial cylinder shortage triggers panic as govt prioritises domestic supply | Iran war disrupts LPG supplies, restaurants in major Indian cities edge towards shutdown | ‘How dare you question judicial officers?’: SC raps Bengal SIR pleas, orders appellate tribunals for voter list appeals
Arafi
Iran has appointed Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to its interim leadership council. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Who is Ayatollah Alireza Arafi? Iran names new Iranian Supreme Leader following Khamenei's death

| @indiablooms | Mar 01, 2026, at 05:12 pm

Iran has appointed Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to its interim leadership council, just hours after officially announcing the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ali Khamenei was killed in a strike conducted by Israel and the US on Saturday in the Iranian territory.

In an X post, expediency council spokesman Mohsen Dehnavi was quoted as saying by the media: "The Expediency Discernment Council has elected Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as a member of the interim leadership council."

According to reports, the council will also include President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.

The council will reportedly lead the country until the Assembly of Experts until a permanent leader is elected.

Who is Ayatollah Alireza Arafi?

Born in 1959, Arafi is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as a member of the Guardian Council since 2019, and a member of the Assembly of Experts since 2022.

He was long considered as a strong contender who would step into the shoes of Khamenei.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.