The leaders also considered who could be “the Delcy of Iran,” a reference to #DelcyRodríguez, the Venezuelan vice president who made a deal with the #Trump admin to run #Venezuela after #US forces captured its president, Nicolás #Maduro.

#Larijani sits at the top of the list, 3 officials familiar with the planning said in the weeks before the attack.

#US #Iran #Israel #war #RegimeChange #RulesOfWar #law #geopolitics #MiddleEast

#Larijani was, however, ensconced in #Khamenei’s trusted circle. He was in charge of using lethal force to crush the recent protests demanding the end of Islamic rule, liaising with Iran’s powerful allies, like Russia. He also oversaw nuclear negotiations with Washington, & was tasked with devising plans on what to do if #war with the #UnitedStates were to break out.

#US #Iran #Israel #Trump #Netanyahu #RegimeChange #RulesOfWar #law #geopolitics #MiddleEast

During Iran’s 12-day war with Israel last year, #Khamenei named 3 candidates who could succeed him, but they were never publicly identified. Though #Larijani appears to be largely running the country, he is not regarded as a candidate because he is not a senior Shiite cleric — a fundamental qualification for any successor.

#US #Iran #Israel #war #Trump #Netanyahu #RegimeChange #RulesOfWar #law #geopolitics #MiddleEast

Iran’s top #NationalSecurity ofcl said an interim council would be formed Sunday to rule the country after Ayatollah Ali #Khamenei, the supreme leader, was assassinated in an Israeli strike.

In comments carried by #Iran state media, Ali #Larijani, the security ofcl, said the president, the head of the judiciary & a member of the Council of Guardians, a powerful group of jurists, would temporarily govern until a new leader was chosen.

#US #Israel #war #RegimeChange #law
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/01/world/iran-attack-khamenei-trump/top-iranian-security-official-says-interim-government-will-be-formed-sunday?smid=url-share

The move suggested that the Islamic Republic was keen to project a sense of continuity after the death of its longtime ruler, who was at the center of the country’s theocratic system.

Before he was killed, #Khamenei had delegated much of the running of the country to #Larijani, a veteran politician & former commander in the #IRGC. The rise of Larijani had sidelined Iran’s president, Masoud #Pezeshkian.

#US #Iran #Israel #war #RegimeChange #RulesOfWar #law #geopolitics #MiddleEast

Iran’s top #NationalSecurity ofcl said an interim council would be formed Sunday to rule the country after Ayatollah Ali #Khamenei, the supreme leader, was assassinated in an Israeli strike.

In comments carried by #Iran state media, Ali #Larijani, the security ofcl, said the president, the head of the judiciary & a member of the Council of Guardians, a powerful group of jurists, would temporarily govern until a new leader was chosen.

#US #Israel #war #RegimeChange #law
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/01/world/iran-attack-khamenei-trump/top-iranian-security-official-says-interim-government-will-be-formed-sunday?smid=url-share