6 hours agoWho is Alireza Arafi, the acting leader of the Islamic Republic?
Periskopi(5 months ago)
(5 months ago)High cleric Ailetlah Alireza Arafi has been appointed to Iran's interim governing council following the recent assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Foreign media report that, the assassination of Supreme Leader, Ajatolah Ali Khamenei, in a joint US-Israel air strike in Tehran, Iran activated the constitutional emergency provisions. This led to the formation [...]
This led to the formation of a three-member interim Council of Leadership to exercise the powers of the Supreme Leader until the assembly of experts chooses a permanent successor. Aiollah Alireza Arafi was appointed a member of this council on March 1, 2026, along with President Masoud Peschian and Supreme Court Chairman Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei. Media and analysts have cited it in this context as Iran's interim Supreme Leader, marking a crucial moment in the history of the Islamic Republic.
Early Life and Aileollah family history Alireza Arafi
Born in 1959 in the historic city of Meybod, located in Iran's central province of Yazd, Alireza Arafi was raised into a deeply religious clergy family. His father, Mohammad Ibrahim al-Arafi (also known as Sheikh Haji Mohammad Ibrahim Arafi), was a respected scholar and a close associate of Ajatolah Rholah Khomeni, founder of the Islamic Republic. This family relationship with the revolutionary elite gave Arafi an early exposure to the ideological foundations of the regime.
From an early age, Araf displayed a strong inclination toward religious studies. He began his initial education at the seminar under his father's leadership in Maybod. In 1970, at about 11 years of age, he moved to Coom, Iran's season of Shiite Theological Teaching. This shift marked the beginning of his advanced formal training in the hawza (the seminar system), where he would spend decades perfecting his expertise.
