A three-person body activated under Article 111 of Iran's constitution when the Supreme Leader dies or is incapacitated. It holds supreme power on an interim basis while the Assembly of Experts selects a permanent replacement. Formed 28 February 2026 following Ali Khamenei's death, its members are President Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Mohseni-Ejei, and Ayatollah Arafi.Source: Iran International

Has Iran's interim council agreed to negotiate with the US?

No. Senior adviser Ali Larijani publicly stated Iran will not negotiate with the United States, directly contradicting President Trump's claim he had agreed to speak with Iran's new leadership. This was the first named official to address the question after the council's formation.Source: Al Jazeera

Does Iran's military obey the Interim Leadership Council?

Not fully. IRGC forces ignored President Pezeshkian's Ceasefire order within hours of it being issued, striking Dubai, Saudi oil facilities, and Bahrain. Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf publicly attributed the strikes to the late Supreme Leader's prior directives, not any council decision.Source: Iran International

Background

Created by Article 111 of Iran's 1979 constitution (revised 1989), the council holds Supreme Leader powers while the Assembly of Experts selects a permanent successor. Never previously activated in the Islamic Republic's 46-year history, its members span three branches: Ayatollah Alireza Arafi (clerical), President Pezeshkian (executive), and Chief Justice Mohseni-Ejei (judicial). All four of Khamenei's top military commanders were killed alongside him, leaving units operating without central direction.

The Interim Leadership Council assumed supreme authority on 28 February 2026, hours after Ali Khamenei's death during active US-Israeli strikes on Tehran. Masoud Pezeshkian ordered Iranian forces to halt attacks on neighbouring states, but the IRGC ignored the Ceasefire within hours, striking Dubai, Saudi oil facilities, and Bahrain. Senior adviser Ali Larijani then declared Iran would not negotiate with Washington, directly contradicting Trump's claim of agreed talks.

The council's authority is simultaneously sweeping and precarious: it holds nominal supreme power over a military that has already defied it, its members have issued contradictory orders within single news cycles, and the Assembly of Experts — which must convene to name a successor — had its Qom headquarters struck in the campaign's opening hours.

More questions

What is Article 111 of Iran's constitution?

Article 111 provides for an Interim Leadership Council to hold Supreme Leader powers when that position becomes vacant, composed of the president, chief justice, and a senior cleric chosen by The Guardian Council. Inserted in the 1989 constitutional revision, it had never previously been invoked before February 2026.Source: Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Who are the three members of Iran's leadership council?

President Masoud Pezeshkian (reformist executive), Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei (hardline jurist), and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi (senior cleric). They represent three branches of government and hold fundamentally different political outlooks within the Islamic Republic.Source: Iran International

Source Material

Iran's Constitution and Leadership Structure Supreme Leader of Iran Iran International Reuters Middle East — Iran BBC Middle East — Iran coverage Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran Article 111 of the Constitution of Iran