US pesident
Donald Trump has said he and his team have a shortlist of three possible leaders for Iran after the country’s supreme leader was killed, but he did not say who they were.
"I won't be revealing them now. Let's get the job done first," he told the New York Times.
The military campaign has continued after Khamenei’s death, with both the US and Israel striking Iranian military sites. Iran in return, has fired missiles and drones at Israel, US bases in the Gulf region, and other regional targets.
Trump also said US military action in Iran could continue for “four to five weeks” if needed. He has also suggested a transition model similar to what the US did in Venezuela, where the top leader was removed but many state structures stayed intact.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint United States–Israel airstrike, a major escalation in the ongoing conflict.
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Who is Ayatollah Alireza Arafi?
Tehran has appointed Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as its interim supreme leader. Arafi, a senior cleric and a long-time insider in Iran’s religious and political hierarchy, now faces the challenge of steering the Islamic Republic during a period of heightened regional tensions and internal uncertainty.
Arafi was born in 1959 in Meybod in Yazd province and comes from a clerical family. He studied in Qom, Iran’s main seminary city, and became a mujtahid, allowing him to issue independent Islamic legal rulings.
His rise continued under supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who appointed him to important roles, including leading Friday prayers in Meybod and later in Qom. Arafi also headed Al-Mustafa International University and in 2019 became a member of the Guardian Council, which reviews laws and election candidates.
Trump has also said he was open to dialogue with Iran’s new leadership. He told The Atlantic that Iran’s leaders have expressed a desire to talk and that he has agreed to do so. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he said.
How Iran select its leader?
In Iran’s constitutional process, an assembly of experts, an 88-member body of clerics elected every eight years, must select the full-time supreme leader. The body is also known for disqualifying candidates in Iran’s elections.
There has been only one previous transfer of power in the position of Iran’s supreme leader, the country’s highest authority since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Potential names to lead Iran
Mojtaba Khamenei,56, is the second-eldest son of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and is seen by some insiders as a leading contender. According to Reuters, sources say he has long been viewed as a possible successor and is aligned with his father’s hardline policies. The US treasury department has flagged him over an alleged $1.5 billion transfer out of Iran, with secretary Scott Bessent accusing Iran’s leadership of “abandoning ship”.
Hassan Khomeini, 53, is the grandson of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. He has recently emerged as a serious contender within the system. Some observers see him as a more conciliatory figure compared to other hardliners, both in domestic politics and in dealing with the international community.
Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, had called for the overthrow of Iran’s ruling system following the recent strikes. The NCRI presents itself as a government-in-exile and says it has a plan for a six-month transitional administration leading to free elections, separation of religion and state, gender equality and a non-nuclear Iran.
Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last monarch and a key voice behind the protests in Iran has also spoken about a democratic transition. In posts on X, he described US action as targeting the regime rather than the Iranian people and urged citizens to return to the streets.