Iran: Interim Leadership Council has 'begun work' after death of Supreme Leader
President Pezeshkian says the transitional body has begun work as Tehran seeks to project stability and military resolve amid rising regional tensions following the death of Ali Khamenei
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian announced on state television that the Interim Leadership Council, formed following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has officially begun its work.
In a recorded video address, Pezeshkian said the transitional body had assumed its responsibilities and stressed that the country’s leadership would continue “with full force on the path laid out by Khamenei,” the founder of the Islamic Republic.
The Interim Leadership Council is tasked with ensuring continuity of governance following the loss of the Supreme Leader, the most powerful and central figure in Iran’s political system. Iranian authorities have not released further details regarding the council’s composition or the expected duration of its mandate.
Addressing the regional security situation, Pezeshkian warned that Iran’s armed forces “will forcefully crush the enemy’s bases.” His remarks come amid heightened regional tensions, including U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and subsequent Iranian retaliatory actions against several Gulf states.
Despite what officials have described as the shock caused by the Supreme Leader’s death, Tehran is seeking to project an image of institutional stability and military resolve. Meanwhile, reports indicate that the White House would prefer that Israel act first in any direct military confrontation with Iran.