Interim Leadership Council

Iran became an Islamist theocracy in 1979 following the collapse of the pro-American, anti-communist Pahlavi monarchy. The new regime adopted an anti-American stance and called for Israel's destruction, allegedly developed a military nuclear program in secret, and supported anti-Western proxies across the Middle East. US forces clashed with Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war in June, 2025, during which the US attacked Iran's nuclear facilities. A month and a half before the attack, Iran massacred thousands of civilians during the largest protests since the 1979 Revolution, and US president Donald Trump announced that "help is on the way." In the following weeks, Iran and the US engaged in indirect nuclear negotiations mediated by Oman. A second round of talks in Geneva made progress but these indirect talks ended without any deal. The attack was preceded by the largest US military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On 28 February 2026, Israel and the United States launched a coordinated joint attack on various sites in Iran, sparking the 2026 Iran War. Codenamed Operation Roaring Lion by Israel and Operation Epic Fury by the US Department of Defense, it targeted key officials, military commanders, and facilities, with the goal of regime change. The attack killed the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, after which Ali Larijani proclaimed the establishment of the council. Article 111 Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran states: == Formation proposal (1989) ==

After the death of Ruhollah Khomeini, the Assembly of Experts discussed whether to install an Interim Leadership Council or an individual person; 45 members voted in favor of an individual, while 23 preferred a leadership council. Then-president Ali Khamenei was then elected acting supreme leader. == First composition (2026)==

Background Following Khamenei's assassination on 28 February 2026, an Interim Leadership Council was established under the terms of the constitution on 1 March 2026. The other two members, president Masoud Pezeshkian and chief justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, became members of the council ex officio. The regime was weakened due to the "deep simmering anger" Iranians felt towards their government in the aftermath of the overwhelming violence it used to suppress the protests, the Israeli-US attacks, which Iranian civilians reportedly "eagerly anticipated", and the death of Khamenei, which caused celebrations to break out in Tehran and other Iranian cities. Khamenei's son Mojtaba was elected supreme leader on the same day. Members • Masoud Pezeshkian is viewed as a reformist, and took office as the President of the Islamic Republic in 2024. The president is the second-highest-ranking official in Iran and is responsible for the implementation of the Supreme Leader's decrees, daily administration, and economic policy. He is known for his harsh sentencing and has been sanctioned by Canada, the US, Switzerland, the European Union, and others for Human Rights abuses. • Alireza Arafi, head of Iranian religious seminaries and a member of the Guardian Council, a legislative body which ensures compliance with Sharia law and vets presidential candidates, According to IranWire, Arafi is a "prominent hardline cleric" and is widely considered a "staunch loyalist to the core ideology of the Islamic Republic." Like Mohsen-Ejei, Arafi is a potential successor to Khamenei as Supreme Leader; After Khamenei's death in the Iran conflict, misinformation, including an online post by US General Michael Flynn, circulated on social media platforms claiming that Arafi died in the strikes on Iran. Some Israeli media outlets also reported his death; however no government, including the US, Israeli, and Iranian governments, or international media outlet, has announced his death, and that he governed Iran along with the other members of the Interim Leadership Council between Ali Khamenei's death and Mojtaba Khamenei's election as Supreme Leader. == Notes ==