Irans Leadership Transition Raises Concerns Over Succession Crisis

Iran to Hold Funeral Ceremony for Late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

A farewell ceremony will be held in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Prayer Hall starting at 10pm on Wednesday, marking the end of a three-day mourning period for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The event is expected to draw large crowds and has raised concerns about potential security threats.

According to Hojjatoleslam Mahmoudi, head of Iran’s Islamic Propagation Council, the ceremony will be open to visitors and allow attendees to pay their respects to the deceased leader. Funeral arrangements are ongoing, with some 10 million people attending Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s funeral in 1989.

The Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body elected by the public every eight years, is expected to choose a new supreme leader in the coming days. Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei’s second son, is among the top contenders for the position. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz has stated that any Iranian leader selected to succeed Khamenei will be targeted for assassination.

US President Donald Trump has publicly expressed his preference for a leadership in Iran following Khamenei’s death. Meanwhile, researchers have noted that Iran’s political system is prepared for the current situation, with the structures of power and command remaining intact despite Khamenei’s killing.

Source: Al Jazeera