A three-member council in Iran has temporarily taken over all leadership responsibilities following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA.
The council consists of Iran’s president, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist from the Guardian Council.
The Guardian Council, a powerful unelected body of 12 members, includes six Islamic clerics and six jurists. It oversees compliance with Islamic law (sharia) and the constitution.
According to the BBC, a council of clerics within Iran’s regime is tasked with appointing Khamenei’s successor. The Iranian constitution requires this to happen as quickly as possible, though security concerns may delay their meetings.
CBS News, citing anonymous sources, reported that nearly 40 Iranian leaders were killed in US-Israeli attacks. Iran announced the deaths of Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Revolutionary Guard, and Ali Shamkhani, senior adviser to the Supreme Leader and head of the Defence Council, during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
