GPS News

Iran says 'trying' to swiftly appoint new supreme leader

Iran says 'trying' to swiftly appoint new supreme leader

by AFP Staff Writers
Tehran (AFP) Mar 4, 2026
Iran said on Wednesday it was trying to swiftly appoint a new supreme leader after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes on the weekend.

"We are all trying," said Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership which is responsible for selecting a new leader.

"God willing, the leader will be appointed at the earliest opportunity. We are close, but the situation is a war situation," he told state TV.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that any Iranian leader picked to succeed Khamenei "will be a certain target for assassination".

Khatami said "discretion is necessary" given this threat, adding that the election of a new supreme leader was "imminent".

The Assembly of Experts has 88 members who are elected every eight years.

According to Iranian media, US and Israeli strikes targeted a building on Tuesday in the holy city of Qom that belongs to the Assembly.

The previous day, the body's main headquarters in Tehran was targeted by strikes, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Iran officially began transitioning leadership on Sunday, a day after the death of Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, hardline judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Alireza Arafi -- a cleric and member of the Assembly of Experts -- are serving as interim leaders.

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters

RELATED CONTENT

The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.

Major US naval, air buildup sets stage for potential Iran war
Washington, United States (AFP) Feb 19, 2026
The massive US military buildup in the Middle East, including warships, fighter jets, and refueling aircraft, lays the foundation for a potentially sustained campaign against Iran - should President Donald Trump give the order. Trump - who ordered strikes on Iran last year - has repeatedly threatened Tehran with further military action if ongoing talks do not reach a replacement for the nuclear deal the US president tore up in 2018, during his first term in office. CNN and CBS reported Wednes ... read more

Regrowing marginal farmland can curb emissions without cutting food output

Trump issues order to support production of glyphosate

EU says Chinese levies on dairy products are 'unjustified'

Struggling farmers find hope in India co-operative

Infleqtion lists shares on NYSE as neutral atom quantum firm

Samsung starts mass production of next-gen AI memory chip; Dutch court orders investigation into China-owned Nexperia

Dutch court orders investigation into China-owned Nexperia

Taiwan says 'impossible' to move 40 percent chip capacity to US

Airbus says will back two new European fighter jets 'if clients request'

Germany does not need same fighter jets as France: Merz

India opens Airbus helicopter assembly line

German union urges homegrown fighter jet in blow to European plan

China space firm tests two seat flying car concept in Chongqing

China top court says drivers responsible despite autonomous technology

Mercedes-Benz net profit nearly halves amid China, US woes

Carney scraps Canada EV sales mandate, affirms auto sector's future is electric

Copper price must climb sharply to support global demand

China confirms visa-free access for Canada, UK visitors from Feb 17

China wants 'new level' in Germany ties, Beijing's FM tells Merz

China to scrap tariffs for most of Africa from May: Xi

Rome fells majestic pine trees near Colosseum

Amazon deforestation drives hotter drier regional climate

Deadly Indonesia floods force a deforestation reckoning

Sudan's historic acacia forest devastated as war fuels logging

Satellite radar maps reveal rapid delta land loss

Scientists trace Covid era methane surge to shifts in air chemistry and wetlands

When Earth's magnetic field took its time flipping

ASII launches national geospatial digital twin for Australian agriculture

Carbon fibers bend and straighten under electric control

Engineered substrates sharpen single nanoparticle plasmon spectra

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.