Overview
- Multiple outlets including Iran International, NDTV and Republic World report the Assembly of Experts selected Mojtaba Khamenei, while the New York Times and the Boston Globe cite officials saying he is the clear front‑runner with a formal announcement under consideration.
- Senior clerics held two virtual meetings on Tuesday, and some members cautioned that an immediate public declaration could make the choice a target for further attacks, according to officials cited by the New York Times.
- The Israel Defense Forces confirmed an airstrike on a building in Qom where clerics were expected to convene, with Iranian outlets disputing whether it was in use and no verified casualty figures released.
- An interim three‑member leadership council—President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary chief Gholam‑Hossein Mohseni‑Ejei and cleric Alireza Arafi—was reported to have assumed the Leader’s duties during the transition.
- Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is portrayed as a reclusive power broker closely tied to the IRGC who lacks the rank of ayatollah, raising questions over clerical legitimacy and dynastic succession as regional strikes and retaliations continue.