Overview
- Alireza Arafi, 66, was appointed to the Interim Leadership Council by the Expediency Discernment Council under constitutional procedures, joining President Masoud Pezeshkian and judiciary chief Gholam‑Hossein Mohseni‑Eje'i.
- In his first public remarks in the role, Arafi vowed “resistance” to the United States and Israel and framed the policy as the late Ali Khamenei’s design.
- Arafi holds senior seminary posts and previously led Al‑Mustafa International University, which the United States and Canada sanctioned in 2020 over alleged links to Quds Force‑related activities and foreign fighter recruitment.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington intends to end the war under President Trump, while analysts describe Israel’s objective as leaning toward regime change and the U.S. approach as inconsistent.
- Diplomatic messaging is contradictory, with Oman reporting Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s readiness to resume diplomacy even as Iran’s national‑security chief Ali Larijani posted, “We will not negotiate with America.”