Who Is Ayatollah Arafi? 10 Things To Know About The New Iran Supreme Leader

Iran’s interim leadership council has named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as the clerical member of the body currently exercising the powers of the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Arafi officially took on the role on March 1, 2026, under Article 111 of the Iranian Constitution, which establishes a temporary leadership framework until the Assembly of Experts selects a new Supreme Leader.

Article 111 stipulates that in the event of the de@th or incapacitation of a Supreme Leader, a temporary leadership council assumes the responsibilities of the office until a permanent successor is chosen.

With Khamenei’s de@th, the interim council has now begun overseeing the functions traditionally exercised by Iran’s highest political and religious authority.

Arafi’s appointment places him at the centre of this sensitive transition, as the country navigates a period of political uncertainty.

As a senior Shi’a cleric, Arafi is widely regarded as a figure with influence across Iran’s major institutions, including the military establishment, the judiciary and the religious seminaries.

Until the Assembly of Experts concludes its deliberations and selects a permanent Supreme Leader, Arafi and other members of the interim council will collectively exercise the constitutional powers attached to the office.

Ten key facts about the acting Iranian leader:

1. Born in 1959 in Meybod, Yazd Province, Arafi rose through Iran’s clerical ranks over several decades.

2. Ayatollah Alireza Arafi practices Islam, follows the Twelver Shi’a denomination, adheres to Ja‘fari jurisprudence, and upholds the Usuli creed.

3. In Qom, he completed his primary school education. At the same time, he began his seminary courses and preliminary courses. Later, he also attended seminary courses and learned Arabic and English. Furthermore, he studied mathematics and philosophy. (Qom is widely regarded as Iran’s religious capital and a major centre of Shi’a scholarship).

4. Arafi has attained the rank of mujtahid because of his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and philosophy, and he has authored and co‑authored numerous works on these subjects — including the book Education Jurisprudence (Al‑Fiqh Al‑Tarbawi). Some of his academic articles, published in Iranian journals, cover topics such as Islamic jurisprudence, educational law, and social issues.

5. Between 2008 and 2018, he was President of Al-Mustafa International University, an institution that trains clerics and religious scholars from Iran and abroad.

6. He has served as the Friday Prayer Imam of Qom since 2015.

7. Since 2016, Arafi has headed Iran’s nationwide seminary system, overseeing religious education nationwide.

8. Arafi holds the religious title of Ayatollah, a rank accorded to high-level Shi’a clerics with advanced theological scholarship.

9. He has served as a member of the Guardian Council since 2019, a powerful constitutional body responsible for vetting legislation and supervising elections in Iran.

10. He has also been a member of the Assembly of Experts since 2022, a clerical institution constitutionally mandated to appoint and oversee the Supreme Leader.