List of names got shorter because one of them died, but there is a lot to choose from
The leader dies, but the idea does not die. Even if the claims of the United States and Israel that the ayatollah are confirmed, the Islamic Revolution continues to stand.
It’s not a doubt, it’s a certainty, since this is a brutally rooted regime in Iran, the result of almost 50 years of a theocracy that infiltrated all layers of society.
Furthermore, the secret Americans wanted to make it clear to Donald Trump that the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader would not end the regime in itself, with concrete information that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could take power in the aftermath.
Furthermore, Ali Khamenei was already 86 years old. Assuming that it would not last forever, naturally the Iranian leadership has its succession more than prepared, and it is not a couple of bombs in a compound in Tehran that will change that.
In power since 1989, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the great leader of the Islamic Revolution, died, Ali Khamenei was seen by everyone as the representative of God in Iran, as well as the commander of the Armed Forces who always had the wisest word.
The ayatollah of ayatollahs, yes, but not the only ayatollah, since there are dozens of men – there was one woman, Monireh Gorji, but she died in January 2025 – who are ayatollahs, people chosen in the Shiite branch of the Muslim religion who are chosen by merit, acclaim or appointment by another ayatollah, and are also descendants of the prophet Muhammad.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” announced Donald Trump in his Truth Social, throwing Iran into leadership uncertainty.
And this happened, the President of the United States pointed out, because it is not possible to escape the joint capabilities of Americans and Israelis. And if in the so-called 12-Day War Ali Khamenei still took refuge, this time he felt there was no need, remaining in his compound in Tehran, one of the targets most attacked by the operation.
But let’s go back precisely to June of last year, when the ayatollah was underground for several days, ensuring his safety from any enemy attacks. Right at that time, and aware of the risk he was taking, he named three names that could follow him in power in case something went wrong.
According to The New York Times, which cites sources close to the process, the three names are as follows: Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, chief justice; Ali Ashgar Hejazi, chief of staff to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; Hassan Khomeini, a moderate cleric from a more reformist political faction who is the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Mojtaba, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was also indicated by some factions as a favorite, but his father and Supreme Leader of Iran himself told his followers that he did not want to institute heredity in the country.
In addition to these names, it is also known that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei authorized a small circle of political and military allies to make decisions if he is killed or is inaccessible.
They are the chief of staff, a name repeated in the list above, but also Brigadier General Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, president of Parliament and former commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and his main military advisor and former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Yahya Rahim Safavi.
There are other names that are perhaps less known, but are also in the pipeline. This is the case of Alireza Arafi, 67 years old. A lesser-known figure, he is a renowned cleric and confidant of Khamenei. He currently holds the position of vice-president of the Assembly of Experts and was a member of the powerful Guardian Council, which evaluates candidates for elections and laws approved by parliament. He is also the head of Iran’s seminary system. Arafi is not known as a political heavyweight and does not have close ties to the security apparatus.
The name of Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri also appears: a hard-line cleric and member of the Assembly of Experts, who represents the most conservative wing of the clergy. According to IranWire, an activist media outlet, he is strongly opposed to the West and believes that a conflict between believers and infidels is inevitable. He currently heads the Academy of Islamic Sciences in the holy city of Qom, in the north of the country.
Lastly, Hashem Hosseini Bushehri: a senior cleric closely linked to the institutions that administer succession, particularly the Assembly of Experts, where he serves as first vice president. Bushehri is said to have been close to Khamenei but has a low profile domestically and is not known to have strong ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Now, according to Israel, of these names there is one that is discarded. This is because Ali Ashgar Hejazi is listed as one of seven senior officials killed during the attacks, in a series that does not include the ayatollah.
