Alireza Arafi joins Iran's Leadership Council

Iran names Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to its interim leadership council, which will be at the helm of the country following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Report informs.

"The Expediency Discernment Council has elected Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as a member of the interim leadership council," says expediency council spokesman Mohsen Dehnavi in a post on X.

The interim council, which will also include the president and the head of the judiciary, will lead the country until the Assembly of Experts "elects a permanent leader as soon as possible."

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A temporary Leadership Council will soon be formed in Iran, and a new supreme leader will be elected, said Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's National Security Council, Report informs via Mehr news agency.

Larijani explained: "In accordance with the Constitution, a leadership council has been established to carry out the duties of the Supreme Leader until a successor is chosen."

Earlier, the IRNA agency reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with Judiciary Chief, and a member of the Guardian Council would temporarily lead the republic following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei was killed as a result of US and Israeli attacks. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran, striking cities with air raids. In response, Iran fired rockets into Israeli territory and attacked Gulf countries hosting US military bases. Due to the situation in the Middle East, some regional states temporarily closed their airspace.