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What is the function of the supreme leader in Iran?
2026-03-10 22:05:02 / BOTA
Iran's government has moved swiftly to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, its second-in-command, a role created after the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Overnight, news broke that Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, was chosen to replace him.
Here's everything you need to know about the significance of the appointment and why it matters in Iran's complicated political system:
Iran's system of government combines elements of theocracy and democracy. The Supreme Leader is the most powerful religious and political authority, standing above all elected officials and having no fixed term of office.
But there are also elected officials and institutions such as the president and parliament.
The authority of the supreme leader is broad and comprehensive:
They preserve the integrity of the Islamic Revolution;
They set the “roadmaps” for daily politics and oversee the implementation of general state policies;
They command the armed forces and declare war and peace;
They appoint key officials such as the heads of the judiciary, state media, the military, and half of the members of the Guard Council, which considers and evaluates candidates for elected positions.
The supreme leader was chosen by the Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 Islamic clerics elected by the Iranian public. It also, on paper, oversees and dismisses the supreme leader, although this has never happened.
Candidates are vetted by the Guard Council, whose members are in turn appointed in part by the supreme leader.
The president handles the day-to-day affairs of the government, represents the country internationally, and is nominally independent of the supreme leader.
The president is elected by the public in direct elections. But in recent years, the Guard Council has dismissed many candidates considered relatively moderate and there have been allegations of vote rigging. /bota.al
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