Missile strikes continue as Iranian leaders project defiance after Khamenei

"After Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top commanders were killed in Tehran at the start of the war on Saturday, the remaining top authorities of the Islamic Republic are emphasising that the theocratic establishment has a clear path forward based on its own internal mechanisms. By laws put into motion after the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution, a clerical body called the Assembly of Experts is tasked with selecting the next supreme leader."

"Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, said that a new leadership council has begun its work after the death of Khamenei. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera the process should be complete within days. Until that can happen, a three-member council will govern. As members of the council, judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and President Pezeshkian have vowed continuity."

"In a first video address on Sunday, Pezeshkian called on pro-establishment supporters to congregate at mosques and major city streets despite the war. The third member was announced on Sunday to be Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a clerical member of the powerful constitutional watchdog known as the Guardian Council."

Following airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Tehran and other Iranian cities, the Iranian establishment is consolidating power through established constitutional procedures. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top commanders were killed at the war's start on Saturday. The remaining authorities emphasize institutional continuity through mechanisms established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. A temporary three-member governing council has been formed, comprising judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi from the Guardian Council. The Assembly of Experts will select the next supreme leader within days. President Pezeshkian called supporters to gather at mosques and city streets despite ongoing military operations. Internet connectivity remains largely blocked as Iran vows retaliation.

Read at www.aljazeera.com