The death of 83-year-old Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, reported by Iranian media, is unlikely to spark any direct policy change or jockeying for power, officials and analysts said.
But with the health of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also under scrutiny after he underwent prostate surgery last month, any changes in the body that will choose his successor are sensitive and closely watched.
Under Iran’s constitution, in case of the death, resignation, or dismissal of the leader, the Assembly of Experts has to take steps ‘within the shortest possible time for the appointment of the new leader’. Created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the assembly has never exercised its right to dismiss a leader, but it has turned into a potential arena for competition between rival factions in Iran’s complex power structure.
Some analysts believe that securing a majority in the assembly when it is next elected in early 2016 would help reinforce the position of supporters of President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist who has steered Iran into delicate negotiations with the West over the country’s disputed nuclear programme. Iran is seeking the removal of international sanctions designed to curb the programme and prevent it from developing a nuclear bomb. It denies any such ambition, and says it needs atomic power to generate electricity.
But with the health of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also under scrutiny after he underwent prostate surgery last month, any changes in the body that will choose his successor are sensitive and closely watched.
Under Iran’s constitution, in case of the death, resignation, or dismissal of the leader, the Assembly of Experts has to take steps ‘within the shortest possible time for the appointment of the new leader’. Created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the assembly has never exercised its right to dismiss a leader, but it has turned into a potential arena for competition between rival factions in Iran’s complex power structure.
Some analysts believe that securing a majority in the assembly when it is next elected in early 2016 would help reinforce the position of supporters of President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist who has steered Iran into delicate negotiations with the West over the country’s disputed nuclear programme. Iran is seeking the removal of international sanctions designed to curb the programme and prevent it from developing a nuclear bomb. It denies any such ambition, and says it needs atomic power to generate electricity.