Following the martyrdom of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Assembly of Experts convened under tight security in Qom to elect Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the nation's third Supreme Leader.
Iran's Assembly of Experts has officially designated Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the country's next Supreme Leader, according to اخبار سپاه پاسداران 🏴 (IRGC News), a prominent media channel aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The succession announcement was also corroborated by Khorasan Online.
The critical vote took place during a highly secure, in-person session in Qom on the evening of March 8, 2026 (17 Esfand 1404). As detailed by IRGC News, the assembly convened with a majority of its members present to finalize the succession following the martyrdom of the martyred leader of the Ummah, Hazrat Ayatollah Al-Uzma Khamenei.
The transition process was reportedly hampered by significant safety protocols before this successful gathering. The IRGC-aligned channel noted that the Assembly's presiding board and secretariat had previously scheduled multiple meetings to address the vacancy, but these were repeatedly canceled due to security issues.
Despite the earlier delays, Sunday night's assembly was successfully conducted while observing all legal and security aspects. Following serious and final deliberations, the Assembly declared Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei—wishing that his shadow be extended—as the third Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, securing the lifetime position with a "decisive support and vote."
The source explicitly frames the death of the former Supreme Leader as a martyrdom and uses religious honorifics for the newly elected leader. Per the prompt's instructions, this state-sanctioned narrative and terminology have been preserved in the English translation to accurately convey the emotional charge and editorial posture of the IRGC-aligned media. The mentions of repeated cancellations due to security issues highlight the domestic security anxieties immediately surrounding the succession.