Who leads Iran now? An uncertain path to new supreme leader after Khamenei's death.

"The martyrdom of the Supreme Leader at the hands of Israel and the criminal America was a great disaster for our country. With the power of God, we will continue the path of the Imam, the path of the dear leader, and the path of all those who seek justice in the world with power."

"Long anticipated, the succession of Iran's 86-year-old supreme leader was always expected to bring with it a degree of regime instability. But now, that will likely be magnified, with various rivals and factions jockeying for wartime power amid vastly diminished popularity and perhaps support among Iran's military establishment."

"Iran has only held one other supreme leader succession, that which brought Khamenei to power in 1989 after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. Though the process is outlined in the country's constitution and the Iranian system has had years to prepare, experts caution that a smooth process is nearly impossible."

Iran confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following U.S. and Israeli military strikes. President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that an interim leadership council has assumed control of the country. Iran's constitution requires an assembly of experts to select the next supreme leader, but wartime conditions and the targeting of top leadership officials create obstacles to this process. The succession presents unprecedented challenges, as Iran has only experienced one previous supreme leader transition in 1989. Competing factions and military rivals are positioning themselves for power amid diminished popularity and institutional uncertainty.

Read at The Washington Post