Common Questions

What is Iran's Assembly of Experts?: An 88-member clerical body constitutionally empowered to appoint, supervise and remove Iran's Supreme Leader. Members must be mujtahids and are elected for eight-year terms.
Who did the Assembly of Experts choose as Supreme Leader?: The Assembly appointed Mojtaba Khamenei, the late Supreme Leader's 56-year-old son, on 7 March 2026 in an emergency online session. Eight members boycotted under protest at IRGC pressure.Source: event
Was the Assembly of Experts destroyed?: The Assembly's headquarters in Qom was destroyed in the opening US-Israeli strikes on 28 February 2026. The succession vote was conducted online.Source: event
How many Assembly members boycotted the Supreme Leader vote?: At least eight members boycotted the succession vote, protesting IRGC pressure over the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei.Source: event
How is Iran's Supreme Leader chosen?: The Supreme Leader is appointed by the Assembly of Experts. Candidates must constitutionally hold marja theological credentials. The Assembly previously chose a new leader only once, naming Khamenei in 1989.
Who did Iran's Assembly of Experts choose as Supreme Leader?: The Assembly of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei on 7 March 2026 in an emergency online session after its Qom headquarters was destroyed, making him Iran's third Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic's first dynastic succession.Source: Lowdown iran-conflict-2026
Why did eight Assembly of Experts members boycott the succession vote?: Eight members refused to participate, citing heavy pressure from the IRGC and Mojtaba Khamenei's lack of the marja theological credentials constitutionally required under Article 109.Source: Lowdown iran-conflict-2026
Does Mojtaba Khamenei have the religious qualifications to be Supreme Leader?: No. Iran's constitution requires the Supreme Leader to hold marja rank. Mojtaba Khamenei does not hold that credential, making his appointment constitutionally contested according to boycotting members.Source: Lowdown iran-conflict-2026
What is the Assembly of Experts and what power does it have?: The Assembly of Experts is an 88-member body of elected clerics constitutionally empowered to appoint, supervise, and remove Iran's Supreme Leader. It has never used its supervisory or removal powers in its 47-year history.
Has Mojtaba Khamenei appeared in public since becoming Supreme Leader?: No. Since being appointed on 7 March 2026 Mojtaba has not appeared on video or in person. His only communications have been written statements relayed via state media, including directives published by IRIB on 14 May 2026.Source: Lowdown iran-conflict-2026

Background

The 88-member clerical body is constitutionally empowered to appoint, supervise and remove the Supreme Leader. Members must hold the rank of mujtahid (qualified to issue religious rulings) and are elected by popular vote for eight-year terms, though candidates are pre-vetted by The Guardian Council. In practice, the Assembly has never exercised its supervisory or removal powers; its only previous succession was naming Khamenei in 1989 after Ayatollah Khomeini's death.

The Assembly of Experts appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's third Supreme Leader on 7 March 2026, the first dynastic succession in the Islamic Republic's 47-year history. The vote was conducted in an emergency online session after the Assembly's Qom headquarters was destroyed in the opening strikes. At least eight members boycotted under protest at IRGC pressure, the only institutional dissent against an appointment the Guards had already pre-ratified by pledging "complete obedience and self-sacrifice" before deliberations closed.

Mojtaba lacks the marja theological credentials constitutionally required under Article 109, has not appeared publicly since installation, and his sole communication since March has been written statements relayed through state media. On 14 May 2026, IRIB published what it called his "new and decisive directives" — the first time Iran's media apparatus formally named the post-March leadership as the source of active operational guidance. The document carried no confirming broadcast or authenticated communication, leaving whether the Assembly appointed a functioning Supreme Leader or ratified a fiction unresolved.

Source Material

Constitution of Iran (1989 revision) — Article 109 Assembly of Experts

How the World Sees Them

IRGC

The Guards pledged obedience before deliberation concluded, making the Assembly's vote a ratification of a decision already taken rather than an independent constitutional act.

Israel

Israel vowed to kill any named successor, making the Assembly's choice an immediate security risk for Mojtaba and for the members who publicly endorsed him.

Reformists

Eight boycotting members represent the only institutional dissent. The online format and IRGC pre-commitment denied them any leverage over the outcome.

Constitutional scholars

Mojtaba lacks marja credentials. The online vote, IRGC pressure, boycotts, and his sustained invisibility collectively undermine the Assembly's legitimacy as an independent constitutional body.