{"id":"f-73cd9b4b27-eda699ea-a1b5-5dd9-8604-c1c9c66093fa","title":"Who is Ayatollah Arafi? The senior cleric named by Iran as interim supreme leader after Khamenei’s death","description":"Khamenei was killed on Saturday after a joint operation by the US and Israel on Iran on Saturday. The latest conflict has put the entire Middle-East region in complete chaos.","timestamp":1772366901,"category":"international","headline":"Who is Ayatollah Arafi? The senior cleric named by Iran as interim supreme leader after Khamenei’s death","modifiedHeadline":"Iran Names Arafi as Interim Supreme Leader","subCategories":["scid_190e9d77"],"subcategoriesName":["Middle East"],"region":"IN","bundleMetaData":{"bundleId":"c80449a0-0ad6-472b-8d17-5747dd8f5c83","bundleTitle":"Around the globe","cardData":null},"iabCategoryId":"386","fcSummary":"following the killing of ayatollah ali khamenei in a us-israel operation, iran has appointed ayatollah alireza arrafi as interim supreme leader. arafi, previously a close confidant of khamenei and a contender for succession, also heads the basij paramilitary force. the move comes as iran vows retaliation, while the uk condemns iran's escalating attacks across west asia, labeling khamenei's regime as a \"source of evil.\"","summary":"Iran names Ayatollah Arafi interim leader after Khamenei's death in US-Israel operation, sparking Middle East chaos.","ctaUrl":"https://trends.glance.com/newz/astrology/IN/en/news9/f-73cd9b4b27-eda699ea-a1b5-5dd9-8604-c1c9c66093fa","sourceUrl":"https://www.news9live.com/world/who-is-ayatollah-arafi-the-man-named-by-iran-as-interim-supreme-leader-after-khameneis-death-2937741","bannerImage":"https://g-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/fc/image/HCYHxXo5REO0.webp","content":"

Tehran: Hours after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israel operation, Iran on Sunday named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as interim Supreme

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Leader of the country. Earlier in the day, Iran announced the killing of Khamenei and pledged to take tough actions.

The other members of the interim council are President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei. The Council has been tasked to handle the duties of the supreme leader until Khamenei’s successor is chosen.

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“The Expediency Discernment Council has elected Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as a member of the interim leadership council,” expediency council spokesman Mohsen Dehnavi said in a post on X.

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Who is Ayatollah Alireza Arafi?

Arafi has been a member of both the Guardian Council and the Assembly of Experts, which has the responsibility choose the next leader. A handpicked of Khamenei, Arafi has been a member of the Guardian Council since 2019. He is also the head of the Basij paramilitary force and the former chairman of Al-Mustafa International University.

The 67-year-old had long been considered a person among the top contenders to succeed Khamenei because of his deep institutional ties and experience in administration. His father Mohammad Ibrahim al-Arafi, was a close friend of Ruhollah Khomeini.

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Khamenei was killed on Saturday after a joint operation by the US and Israel on Iran on Saturday. The latest conflict has put the entire Middle-East region in complete chaos.

UK slams Iran over “increasingly indiscriminate” attacks

Meanwhile, the UK has slammed Iran for its “increasingly indiscriminate” attacks in West Asia. In a statement, it said that the UK strengthened defences in the region. Reacting to Khanenei’s killing, the UK said that “few people will mourn his death” as his regime was a “source of evil”.

“Make no mistake, this is a regime that he [Khameni] has run for decades as a source of evil, it has murdered its own citizens, it has exported terror, including to Britain,” it said as per AP.

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“Iran is lashing out in an increasingly indiscriminate and widespread way, and people will be really concerned that it’s not just military targets, but civilian airports like Kuwait … hotels in Dubai and Bahrain are being hit,” it added further.

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Who is Ayatollah Arafi? The senior cleric named by Iran as interim supreme leader after Khamenei’s death

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