Ayatollahs three stand ins
Posted on 06/22/2025 2:25:26 PM PDT by Libloather
Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has chosen a secret list of three potential successors if he succumbs to the same fate as his growing list of valued lieutenants — another handful of whom were killed in overnight Israeli strikes Saturday.
Khamenei, 86, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader since 1989, believes that either Israel or the US will try to kill him and crafted the list while holed up in a bunker, ordering his nation’s Assembly of Experts — the clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader — to choose from his handpicked pool should his enemies be successful, officials told The New York Times.
“If you need any more evidence that the ayatollah is shaking in his boots, look no further than him identifying his three stooges,” a source close to the White House told The Post.
Khamenei’s 55-year-old son, Mojtaba, also a cleric and close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was once rumored to be a front-runner, but was not included on the ayatollah’s succession list, as Israel continues to dominate the skies over Tehran.
Although the list has not been published, a clear front-runner is the head of Iran’s judicial system Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, 68, due to his “willingness to be pretty ruthless in times of crisis,” Gabriel Noronha, an expert on Iranian politics, told The Post.
Assembly of Experts member Mohsen Qomi, 65, would be a strong “runner up,” said Noronha, fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. Qomi is a close confidant to Khamanei and a senior adviser on foreign affairs and communications.
Other possible successors include Assembly of Experts members Mohsen Araki, Alireza Arafi and Hashem Hosseini Bushehri. Arafi also serves on the 12-man Guardian Council, but Araki might have an edge due to his long tenure in the clerical assembly.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I thought this was the Bee by the headline.
Not picking his son was very wise—good father.
In our coming, new second language, Los Tres Chiflados.
But still Larry Curly and Moe right?
Going to need a whole lot more virgins.
Talk about a job no one wants.
More like bargain basement Joe Bessers.
He’s not that sure about his bunker now, is he?
Thank you for saying Joe Besser, as I am personally partial to Shemp.
Ayatollahs three stand ins
Yep. They are also my lawyers: Howard, Howard and Fine.
Shemp is underrated.
I can’t imagine how awful it must be to have your head of state be a doddering old fool in his 80’s who names a blithering idiot who nobody likes as his successor. Oh, wait, maybe I can...
Although the list has not been published, a clear front-runner is the head of Iran’s judicial system Gholam-Hossein “Larry” Mohseni-Eje’i, 68, due to his “willingness to be pretty ruthless in times of crisis,” Gabriel Noronha, an expert on Iranian politics, told The Post.
Assembly of Experts member Mohsen “Moe” Qomi, 65, would be a strong “runner up,” said Noronha, fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. Qomi is a close confidant to Khamanei and a senior adviser on foreign affairs and communications.
Other possible successors include Assembly of Experts members Mohsen “Shemp” Araki, Alireza “Curly” Arafi and Hashem Hosseini Bushehri. Arafi also serves on the 12-man Guardian Council, but Araki might have an edge due to his long tenure in the clerical assembly.
Wait til they find out they were Jewish! :)
“OK, who wants to be Supreme Leader next week?”
Well played.
Khamenei, 86, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader since 1989, believes that either Israel or the US will try to kill him and crafted the list while holed up in a bunker
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Let’s rephrase the article for accuracy.
Khamenei, 86, this Shiite religion’s Supreme Leader since 1989, believes . . . .
He is not the dictator of all things in Iran. Iran has a president, elected last year after the previous one died in a helicopter crash. 50% turnout.
The candidates for that position are vetted by the Guardian Council NOT for political position, but for religious preference. The president and the Parliament determine all things budget, transportation policy, day to day life specifications like taxes and the bureaucracy running the country of 92 million people.
There are multiple candidates in the election, which was almost certainly cleaner than ours in 2020.
If any of these guys ever took positions 180 degrees counter to the Guardian Council and Khamenei, they would likely be removed via party vote (as would be Starmer in the US by Labour if he went against the party platform).
Regardless, this is not some dictator configuration. It’s a religion. The Pope doesn’t dictate day to day affairs in the Vatican, either.
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