UANI Brief: Understanding Who Will Be Iran’s Next Supreme Leader

Doctors Reportedly Closely Monitoring Khamenei’s Declining Health

(New York, N.Y.) — Earlier today, the New York Times reported that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “gravely ill” and has been placed “on bed rest under observation by a team of doctors.” As of January 2019, according to Iranian media reports, the Assembly Experts has formed a committee to vet potential successors, including current Iranian leaders like President Ebrahim Raisi.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky observed that “Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has purged the Iranian system to such an extent that he has stage managed the succession process, with significant implications for years to come. The constellation of power in the Islamic Republic has narrowed to a few trusted disciples, like President Ebrahim Raisi and Khamenei’s influential son Mojtaba, who will play critical roles in any transition or leadership vacuum. The supreme leader has undertaken this strategy to preserve his interests, legacy, and the revolutionary character of the regime.”

UANI maintains a resource outlining the process by which the Islamic Republic will select Khamenei’s successor and identifies the top ten most likely to be elevated to the post. To read UANI’s resource, Who Will Be Iran’s Next Supreme Leader, please click HERE. UANI has also profiled leading candidates to succeed Khamenei, like Ebrahim Raisi and Mojtaba Khamenei. For the full library of analytical leadership profiles, click HERE.

To read Brodsky’s August 2022 op-ed in The National Interest, “The Next Supreme Leader: Is Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi Destined for Greatness?”, please click HERE.

To speak with UANI’s senior leadership team or Advisory Board members, please email [email protected].

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