In pictures | Iran pays last respects to slain leader Ali Khamenei
International dignitaries and officials participated in a six-day state funeral in Tehran to commemorate Ali Khamenei, who had served as Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989.
Khamenei was killed on 28 February 2026 during a joint US-Israeli military operation targeting senior Iranian leadership.
Following his death, the Assembly of Experts convened and, on 9 March 2026, designated Mojtaba Khamenei — son of the late Supreme Leader — as Iran's third Supreme Leader.
The appointment triggered domestic debate within Iran about hereditary succession being incompatible with the founding principles of the Islamic Republic.
As of the funeral proceedings in early July 2026, the new Supreme Leader had not made a public appearance.
Velayat-e Faqih: The Constitutional Foundation of Iran's Political Order
Velayat-e faqih (Persian: Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) is the foundational doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran, first systematised by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in his 1970 lectures at Najaf. The concept holds that in the absence of the Twelfth Imam (who, in Twelver Shia belief, went into occultation in 874 CE), political and religious governance must be entrusted to the most qualified Islamic jurist (faqih). Khomeini argued that the faqih possessed absolute guardianship (velayat-e motlaqe) over the Muslim community — a significant expansion of the traditional, limited scope of the concept. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, velayat-e faqih was codified in Iran's Constitution, establishing the position of Supreme Leader (Rahbar) as the apex of political and religious authority.
Key Details
- The Supreme Leader oversees: the armed forces (including the IRGC), the judiciary, state media (IRIB), the Guardian Council, the Expediency Council, and foreign policy direction.
- Article 110 of Iran's Constitution enumerates the Supreme Leader's powers.
- The position was held by Ayatollah Khomeini (1979–1989) and then Ali Khamenei (1989–2026) before the current transition.
- Khomeini held the title of "Imam" — a term not applied to subsequent Supreme Leaders who lack equivalent religious standing.
Khamenei's death and the succession process directly activated the constitutional mechanism underpinning velayat-e faqih — the Assembly of Experts' role in selecting and potentially removing the Supreme Leader.
The Assembly of Experts: Role and Composition
The Assembly of Experts (Majles-e Khobregan) is an 88-member body of Islamic scholars (clerics) elected directly by Iranian voters every eight years. It is constitutionally mandated to: (1) select the Supreme Leader, (2) supervise the Supreme Leader's performance, and (3) remove the Supreme Leader if he is found incapable or deviates from Islamic law. In practice, the Assembly has never exercised its supervisory or removal powers — it functions largely as a legitimating body. Candidates must be vetted by the Guardian Council (itself appointed partly by the Supreme Leader), creating a circularity that insulates the office from genuine oversight.
Key Details
- The Assembly of Experts was established under Article 107 of Iran's 1979 Constitution.
- Members must be qualified Islamic jurists; they are elected by popular vote but candidates are pre-screened.
- The Guardian Council (12 members: 6 Islamic jurists appointed by the Supreme Leader + 6 jurists nominated by the judiciary chief and approved by Parliament) vets all candidates for all elections, including Assembly of Experts elections.
- The 2026 succession election (3–8 March) was conducted under exceptional circumstances and under reported pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
- Mojtaba Khamenei (born 1969) was designated third Supreme Leader — the first succession not involving Khomeini's direct legacy.
The six-day state funeral and the succession process illustrate how the velayat-e faqih system functions in a crisis — the Assembly of Experts fulfils the constitutional succession role while the IRGC shapes the political outcome.
Iran's Geopolitical Significance for India and the Region
Iran occupies a critical position in India's strategic calculus: it borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, provides India overland access to Central Asia via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), and is home to the Chabahar Port — a key Indian infrastructure investment that bypasses Pakistan. Iran holds the world's second-largest natural gas reserves and fourth-largest crude oil reserves. The 2026 US-Israeli military operation marks a fundamental rupture in West Asian security architecture, with cascading implications for energy markets, the Hormuz Strait (through which approximately 20% of global oil trade passes), and India's Chabahar port connectivity.
Key Details
- India-Iran Chabahar Port Agreement: India has invested in the Shahid Beheshti terminal; operationalised under India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL).
- INSTC (International North-South Transport Corridor): 7,200 km multimodal corridor linking India to Russia via Iran.
- Iran's Strait of Hormuz: approximately 21 million barrels per day of oil transits through it (~20% of global oil trade).
- India imported significant volumes of discounted Iranian crude before US sanctions (CAATSA, 2018); sanctions compliance forced cessation of imports.
- The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) — Iran's ideological military — was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US in 2019.
The death of the Supreme Leader and the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran creates strategic uncertainty for India around Chabahar operations, INSTC progress, and energy supply security from the Persian Gulf region.
- Ali Khamenei: Supreme Leader of Iran from 1989 to 28 February 2026 (killed in US-Israeli operation).
- Ayatollah Khomeini: first Supreme Leader, 1979–1989 (died of natural causes).
- Mojtaba Khamenei: designated third Supreme Leader on 9 March 2026 by the Assembly of Experts.
- Velayat-e faqih concept: codified in Iran's 1979 Constitution (Article 107 for Supreme Leader selection).
- Assembly of Experts: 88 members, elected every 8 years, must be Islamic jurists.
- Iran holds world's 2nd largest natural gas reserves and 4th largest crude oil reserves.
- Strait of Hormuz: ~21 million barrels/day (~20% of global oil trade).
- Chabahar Port: India's key connectivity asset; operated by India Ports Global Ltd.
- INSTC: 7,200 km multimodal corridor (sea + rail + road) linking Mumbai to Moscow via Tehran.