After Khamenei’s Killing: Who’s Running Iran?

The killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei by the United States and Israel has plunged Iran into a leadership crisis, creating a power vacuum at the core of the Islamic Republic.

With no officially declared heir, a three-person council—including President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary head Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and cleric Alireza Arafi—now holds temporary power.

But the Assembly of Experts, the 88-member body responsible for selecting a new supreme leader, cannot safely convene amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes.

Adding to the chaos, Israel claims to have killed a “majority” of Iran’s senior military leaders, including the armed forces chief and IRGC commander.

Potential successors include Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, though the regime may avoid dynastic succession, and senior clerics like Arafi.

President Trump has urged Iranians to overthrow their government, calling this their “only chance.”

But experts say there is no organized opposition ready to take power. The IRGC, though decapitated, remains the regime’s most powerful force, moving quickly to prevent fragmentation and signal continuity.

The question now is whether the Islamic Republic can survive the loss of its leader.