In Iran, a triumvirate has been gathered within a temporary management council since Sunday, March 1, 2026, to ensure interim leadership until the election of a new Supreme Leader, following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday by American-Israeli strikes. Thus, there is no immediate plan to reform the regime. Another leader expected to play a major role in this process is Ali Larijani, the head of the Supreme National Security Council.
President Massoud Pezeshkian:
Massoud Pezeshkian, 71, was elected president in July 2024. This cardiac surgeon turned politician is seen as a reformer. Born in 1954 in Mahabad, in the western province of Azerbaijan (northwest Iran), Massoud Pezeshkian is the son of an Iranian father of Turkish origin and a Kurdish mother.
“The nation will continue the path of the revolution”:
This technocrat led the government during two of the most tumultuous periods in the history of the Islamic Republic, including the twelve-day war in 2025 sparked by an Israeli attack, joined by the United States, and the massive protests in early January.
On Sunday, he stated that the assassination of Ali Khamenei was a “declaration of war against Muslims worldwide,” asserting that avenging his death was a “right and legitimate duty” for Iran.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, head of the judiciary:
A 69-year-old Shiite clergyman, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was born in the village of Ejeh, in the province of Isfahan, in central Iran. A prominent figure in the judicial and security apparatus of the Islamic Republic, he was appointed head of the judiciary in 2021 by Ali Khamenei.
The youngest and least known of the three members of the Provisional Management Council is jurist Alireza Arafi:
Alireza Arafi, 65, is the second vice-president of the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for appointing and overseeing the Supreme Leader, as well as a member of the Guardian Council of the Revolution. He also heads the country’s Shiite seminaries management center.
“The nation will continue the path of the revolution and avenge the blood of the people, youth, and students,” he assured on Sunday.
Ali Larijani, head of Supreme National Security Council:
68 years old, Ali Larijani currently heads the Supreme National Security Council, the highest security body in Iran. Born in Najaf, Iraq, in 1957, he is the son of a prominent Shiite dignitary close to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
On Sunday, he presented the post-Khamenei transition plans, vowing to strike Israel and the United States “with a force they have never experienced.”
Who are the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)?:
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was established in 1979 as an “ideological army,” tasked with serving the Shiite Islamist ideology of the Islamic Revolution, both domestically and abroad. Unlike the regular army, whose main goal is to protect Iran’s territorial integrity, the IRGC’s primary mission is to safeguard the interests of the Shiite Islamist theocratic system in Iran. It is closely tied to the clerical establishment, with the Supreme Leader as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic, including the IRGC.
