{"id":13642,"date":"2026-03-03T04:05:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T04:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=13642"},"modified":"2026-03-03T04:05:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T04:05:59","slug":"who-are-the-council-members-temporarily-in-charge-of-iran-explainer-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=13642","title":{"rendered":"Who are the council members temporarily in charge of Iran? | Explainer News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"post-label__text\">EXPLAINER<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Until Khamenei\u2019s successor is picked, the three-member leadership council, including Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, will lead Iran.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">4 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-07-14-at-11.25.52-1752485308.jpeg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 1 Mar 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">1 Mar 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"google-preferred-source\"><button class=\"google-preferred-source__button\" aria-label=\"Add Al Jazeera on Google\" data-testid=\"google-preferred-source-button\"><svg class=\"icon icon--plus2 icon--primary icon--12 google-preferred-source__add-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>plus2<\/title><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M10.571 13.429H3.43c-.405 0-.744-.137-1.018-.411A1.382 1.382 0 0 1 2 12c0-.405.137-.744.41-1.018.275-.274.614-.41 1.019-.41h7.142V3.428c0-.405.137-.744.411-1.018C11.256 2.137 11.595 2 12 2s.744.137 1.018.41c.274.275.41.614.41 1.019v7.142h7.143c.405 0 .744.137 1.018.411.274.274.411.613.411 1.018s-.137.744-.41 1.018c-.274.274-.614.41-1.019.41H13.43v7.143c0 .405-.137.744-.411 1.018-.274.274-.613.411-1.018.411s-.744-.137-1.018-.41a1.382 1.382 0 0 1-.41-1.019V13.43Z\"\/><\/svg><svg class=\"icon icon--google icon--primary icon--16 google-preferred-source__google-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 17 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>google<\/title><g fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-path=\"url(#a)\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"><path fill=\"#4285F4\" d=\"M16.18 8.181c0-.567-.051-1.112-.145-1.636H8.5v3.094h4.305a3.68 3.68 0 0 1-1.596 2.415v2.007h2.585c1.513-1.393 2.386-3.443 2.386-5.88Z\"\/><path fill=\"#34A853\" d=\"M8.5 16c2.16 0 3.971-.717 5.295-1.939l-2.586-2.007c-.716.48-1.633.764-2.709.764-2.083 0-3.847-1.407-4.476-3.298H1.35v2.072A7.997 7.997 0 0 0 8.501 16Z\"\/><path fill=\"#FBBC05\" d=\"M4.024 9.519c-.16-.48-.251-.993-.251-1.52s.09-1.04.25-1.52V4.406H1.352A7.997 7.997 0 0 0 .5 8c0 1.29.31 2.513.85 3.593l2.674-2.073Z\"\/><path fill=\"#EA4335\" d=\"M8.5 3.182c1.175 0 2.23.403 3.058 1.196l2.295-2.294C12.467.793 10.656 0 8.5 0a7.997 7.997 0 0 0-7.149 4.407L4.024 6.48C4.653 4.59 6.417 3.182 8.5 3.182Z\"\/><\/g><defs><clippath id=\"a\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M.5 0h16v16H.5z\"\/><\/clippath><\/defs><\/svg><span class=\"google-preferred-source__text\">Add Al Jazeera on Google<\/span><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"See more of Al Jazeera\u2019s trusted journalism by adding us as a preferred source on Google.\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--primary icon--16 google-preferred-source__info-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Iranian authorities have announced a three-member interim leadership council to run the government after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Israeli-United States strikes.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s government pledged to avenge the killing on Saturday of Khamenei, who had been in power for nearly four decades. Tehran has since targeted Israeli and US assets located across Gulf countries in retaliatory strikes.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>While US President Donald Trump has said he wants a change in Iran\u2019s government, the religious leaders of Iran moved on Sunday to start the process of choosing Khamenei\u2019s successor.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4350509\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4350509\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4350509\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AA-20260301-40700890-40700885-EXPLOSIONS_HEARD_IN_TEHRAN_AS_NEW_ISRAELI_AIRSTRIKES_HIT_IRANIAN_CAPITAL-1772362947.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Iran\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4350509\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Plumes of smoke rise over residential areas of Tehran from US-Israeli air strikes on March 1, 2026 [Fatemeh Bahrami\/Anadolu]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-the-interim-leadership-council\">What is the interim leadership council?<\/h2>\n<p>Article 111 of Iran\u2019s Constitution authorises a temporary leadership council to assume the supreme leader\u2019s duties until a successor is elected.<\/p>\n<p>That council will consist of President Masoud Pezeshkian; the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei; and a member of the Guardian Council, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi.<\/p>\n<p>So who are these three figures who will temporarily run Iran as it reels from war?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4350863\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4350863\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4350863\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026-03-01T101313Z_406806518_RC2MHU9G2BQ2_RTRMADP_3_IRAN-CRISIS-1772368452.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"arafi\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4350863\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pope Francis greets Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, president of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran, during a private audience at the Vatican on May 30, 2022 [Handout\/Vatican Media via Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Ayatollah Alireza Arafi<\/h3>\n<p>Arafi has been a member of the Guardian Council since 2019. Its members are appointed by the supreme leader. It is an Islamic legal authority that vets Iran\u2019s laws and policies to make sure they conform to Islamic principles. It approves election candidates, has veto power over legislation passed by parliament and supervises elections.<\/p>\n<p>Arafi also serves as the deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for overseeing the selection of the supreme leader.\u00a0He leads Friday prayers in Qom, Iran\u2019s most important religious centre, and heads the seminary system, overseeing education for religious leaders nationwide.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4269548\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4269548\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4269548\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ap_6978f8ce6d49c-1769535694.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"FILE - Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, attends the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, on Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Angelina Katsanis, File)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4269548\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York [File:Angelina Katsanis\/AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Masoud Pezeshkian<\/h3>\n<p>Pezeshkian, 71, is a reformist politician and heart surgeon who served in the army during the Iran-Iraq War. He was elected president in the 2024 elections.<\/p>\n<p>He previously served as health minister under President Mohammad Khatami and, after 2005, as a member of parliament representing the northwestern city of Tabriz.<\/p>\n<p>Pezeshkian ran unsuccessfully for president earlier but in 2024 won on a reform-oriented platform and has since navigated economic pressures and regional tensions.<\/p>\n<p>He earlier campaigned on economic stabilisation, easing social restrictions and pursuing constructive engagement abroad while affirming loyalty to the Islamic Republic\u2019s constitutional framework.<\/p>\n<p>Reacting to Khamenei\u2019s assassination, Pezeshkian said in a statement that Iran now considers \u201cit its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1453697\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1453697\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-1453697\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/000_9DM946.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C500&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was put on US and EU sanctions blacklists 10 years ago for his role in a crackdown on a popular uprising [File: AFP]\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1453697\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei [File: AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei<\/h3>\n<p>Mohseni-Ejei is a senior religious leader and has headed the judiciary since Khamenei appointed him to the post in July 2021.<\/p>\n<p>He previously served as intelligence minister from 2005 to 2009 and later as prosecutor-general and first deputy chief justice. He is regarded as a hardline figure aligned with the conservative wing of the government.<\/p>\n<p>In January, when the collapsing rial triggered protests across Iran, Mohseni-Ejei promised \u201cno leniency\u201d towards what he called \u201crioters\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Mohseni-Ejei said the US and Israel \u201copenly and explicitly supported the unrest\u201d in the country after Trump called on Iranians to take to the streets.<\/p>\n<p>After Khamenei\u2019s killing, Trump again addressed the Iranian public on Saturday, calling for them to topple the government. \u201cThis will probably be your only chance for generations,\u201d he said on Saturday after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran began.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EXPLAINER Until Khamenei\u2019s successor is picked, the three-member leadership council, including Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, will lead Iran. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a04 mins info Published On 1 Mar 20261 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Iranian authorities have announced a three-member interim leadership council to run [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-explained"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}