- Iran’s Assembly of Experts is expected to convene within 24 hours to select a new supreme leader following the reported death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
- Assembly member Hossein Mozafari confirmed the planned meeting, saying the leadership decision would be made soon
- Mozafari urged Iranians to avoid speculation and rumours until the assembly formally meets
Iran is preparing to choose a new supreme leader within the next 24 hours, according to a member of the country’s Assembly of Experts, local media reported on Saturday, March 7.
Hossein Mozafari, one of the 88 members of the assembly responsible for appointing the country’s supreme leader, said the body would soon convene to make the decision.
“With divine assistance, this session will occur within the next twenty-four hours,” Mozafari said, according to the Fars news agency.
The announcement comes a week after the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in a US-Israeli attack.
Mozafari also urged citizens to avoid speculation about the leadership transition until the assembly formally meets.
He called on Iranians to “refrain from any speculation and the spreading of rumours regarding this matter” as the assembly has not yet convened for a session.
Meanwhile, the United States has condemned Iran over a recent drone attack targeting an area along Azerbaijan’s border. Washington described the incident as an unnecessary escalation during the ongoing Middle East conflict.
According to the United States Department of State, the drone strike on Thursday, March 5, hit an airport and a school in Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan, which borders Iran, leaving several civilians injured.
“These strikes are a flagrant violation of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and a needless escalation of Iran’s aggression,” said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott in a statement.
He added that attacks against US partners in the region would not be tolerated.
“Attacks on American partners in the region are unacceptable and will be met with resolute US support for those partners,” Pigott said.
Elsewhere in the region, explosions were reported on Saturday night in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, and in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region, according to AFP journalists.
The cause of the blasts in Baghdad was not immediately clear.
However, a witness near the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the US embassy, said air defence systems were activated over the area.
Several drones have reportedly been intercepted near Baghdad airport since the start of the ongoing Middle East war.
In Erbil, an AFP journalist reported hearing the sound of a drone shortly before at least three loud explosions.
Since the conflict began, drones have been repeatedly intercepted over Erbil, which also hosts a major US consulate complex.