Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Iran has moved to establish an interim leadership structure following the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with a three-member council set to temporarily oversee the country’s affairs, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
IRNA reported Sunday that the transitional body will include President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and a clerical representative from the Guardian Council. The arrangement is intended to manage state functions until a new supreme leader is selected through Iran’s constitutional process.
The announcement was echoed by senior adviser Mohammad Mokhber in remarks carried by state television, confirming that the trio would supervise the transitional phase after Khamenei’s death.
Senior commanders reported killed
Iranian authorities also confirmed the deaths of several top security figures in the same wave of strikes attributed to the United States and Israel.
Among those reported killed were Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s defense council, and Major General Mohammad Pakpour, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Israeli officials had earlier claimed both men were killed in the strikes on Tehran.
State media further announced that Major General Ahmad Vahidi, previously deputy commander of the IRGC, has assumed responsibility for leading the Guard following Pakpour’s death.
Casualty toll disputed
Separately, CBS News cited intelligence and military sources as saying that roughly 40 Iranian officials may have been killed in the coordinated attacks. It remains unclear whether the officials were gathered at a single location or targeted across multiple sites.
The evolving leadership changes come as Iran enters one of the most sensitive political transitions in the Islamic Republic’s history, with regional tensions already running high following the unprecedented strikes on Tehran.
Observers say the composition and cohesion of the interim council and the speed of selecting a permanent successor, will be critical factors shaping Iran’s stability in the coming weeks.
