A member of the Iranian Assembly of Experts said a decisive majority has been reached on a candidate to succeed the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei , though obstacles still remain before a final announcement.
Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, a conservative cleric, said on Sunday that council members "have made great efforts and have not fallen short" in the process of selecting a new leader for the country.
He did not name the potential new leader however.
He added that a “decisive majority has been reached” within the council regarding a leadership option — the candidate who could become the third leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on 28 February in US-Israeli strikes on Iran, had ruled Iran since 1989 following the death of his predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Mirbagheri made the remarks in video comments published by the Iranian Fars news agency, amid growing criticism in Iran over the delay in appointing a new supreme leader.
He said the process required caution despite calls from religious authorities in recent days to accelerate the selection.
“It should be noted that in this important and sensitive task, while time must not be wasted, sufficient precision and care must be exercised so that it will not later become a matter of questioning, and so that it will stand as a historical event and document that cannot later be disputed,” Mirbagheri said.
He acknowledged that "there are obstacles under the current circumstances", but expressed hope that they would be resolved soon.
Mirbagheri did not go into detail but the obstacles could include technical challenges in convening an in-person meeting of the Assembly of Experts under war conditions, or possible internal disagreements over the choice of successor.
Following Khamenei’s assassination, a temporary leadership council was formed, in line with the Iranian constitution. The body includes President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and Guardian Council member Alireza Arafi, and has so far held four meetings.
Meanwhile, another member of the Assembly of Experts, Hossein Mozafari, said representatives were waiting "with great anticipation for the conditions to become available to hold the session to carry out their historic mission" of choosing a new leader.
In a message published by the Tasnim news agency, Mozafari said provincial representatives in the council "will never think of selecting individuals who had disagreements with our martyred Imam (Khamenei) and harmed him".
This appeared to be a response to previous comments by US President Donald Trump that he would be involved in selecting Iran's new leadership after Khamenei's death.
"If there is hesitation, it is only about choosing the best and most deserving among the righteous and the competent," he added.
Conservative Iranian MP Mohsen Zangeneh also said on Friday that the Assembly of Experts was expected to choose a new leader very soon.
Speaking at a public meeting reported by the Iranian outlet Etemad Online , Zangeneh said the council had narrowed its choices to two final options.
In remarks widely interpreted as a reference to Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain leader, Zangeneh said: "The new leader will be someone whom the hateful conspirators do not want."
He added: "Despite the wishes of those who feared Khamenei and were even afraid to utter the name Khamenei, God willing the shadow of Khamenei will remain over the head of this nation until the appearance of the awaited Mahdi."
As Iranian officials discussed the succession process, Israel issued a warning suggesting it would target any future Iranian leader.
The Israeli military said it would continue pursuing any successor to Khamenei, who was killed in US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
In a post on X in Farsi, the Israeli military also warned it would pursue anyone involved in appointing a successor to the slain leader, referring to the Assembly of Experts.