On November 7, Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamanei met with the Assembly of Experts and discussed plans for his successor.
“The Assembly of Experts, as defined in our Constitution, is one of the most revolutionary institutions of the Islamic Republic,” he said. “Its significance lies in its unique responsibility to select the nation’s leader. This readiness to fulfill that role must always be maintained.”
One day after Khamenei’s remarks to the Assembly of Experts, where he emphasized the need for their readiness to select the next Supreme Leader, Mohammad Bagher Heydari Kashani, a member of the Assembly, described both the speech and the atmosphere as such: “We held our breath. He gave explicit orders for the Assembly to act swiftly and decisively, without hesitation, to appoint the next leader in accordance with constitutional guidelines… The mere thought of the Leader’s absence moved some members to tears; they couldn’t hold back their emotions at the possibility of the Supreme Leader’s martyrdom.”
These remarks sparked widespread controversy within the regime and surfaced in Friday prayer sermons on November 15 across various cities. Several of Khamenei’s appointees spoke on the issue, their conflicting statements revealing the confusion and anxiety caused by the anticipation of Khamenei’s potential demise at the highest levels of the regime.
During Friday prayers in Shahrekord, Abdollah Keyvani, another member of the Assembly of Experts, outright denied Heydari’s account: “Someone said the members of the Assembly cried… That’s not true; there was laughter, joy, and a sense of empowerment in the session. We were delighted, but there weren’t even tears of joy. The claim that the Leader directed the Assembly to discuss the next Supreme Leader is completely untrue.”
In Isfahan, Abolhassan Mahdavi, Khamenei’s representative and the Friday prayer leader in the city, remarked, “Khamenei’s statement that the Assembly should identify suitable candidates for leadership in case of emergency isn’t new; I’ve heard him mention this about 17 or 18 times over the past 20 years.” He continued, “There is a committee within the Assembly of Experts responsible for identifying all individuals qualified for leadership—this extends beyond Iran, as the concept of ‘Velayat-e Faqih’ transcends borders. This committee works under strict confidentiality, and three members have been chosen to securely hold the names of potential candidates.”
Despite the secrecy, reports circulating in the media and on social networks claim that the three confidential candidates include Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, who is said to control the IRGC, particularly its intelligence organization. The second is Alireza A’rafi, head of the seminaries and former leader of Al-Mustafa International University, known for recruiting and training overseas operatives. The third is Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, a cleric reportedly regarded as the spiritual leader of the “Paydari” faction.
In another example of the controversy stirred by Khamenei’s remarks on November 7, Hossein Shafiei Darabi, the Friday prayer leader of Sari, said on November 15, “The Thursday meeting between the Supreme Leader and the Assembly of Experts provoked reactions from the enemies [i.e., the oppressed society]. They sharpened their tongues and pens, speculating about what might happen. Don’t think that if something unfortunate befalls the Leader, you [the people] will benefit!”
Although Mahdavi in Isfahan claimed to have heard Khamenei discuss the need to identify a successor 17 or 18 times over the past 20 years, his comments indicate that previous mentions did not provoke such strong reactions or turmoil within the regime. This current wave of responses, evident in the Friday sermons, underscores both Khamenei’s fragile condition and the severe crisis gripping the regime amidst its challenges—essentially a “succession crisis” within the regime.