Succession Blocked: Assembly of Experts
Iran's constitutional body for selecting a Supreme Leader bombed in Qom
At 06:00 UTC on March 3, the IDF struck the offices of Iran's Assembly of Experts in both Qom and Tehran. The 86-member clerical body is Iran's only constitutional mechanism for selecting a new Supreme Leader following Khamenei's death. With the Assembly's meeting facilities destroyed, Iran has no legal process to appoint a successor. The interim leadership council of Pezeshkian, Mohseni-Eje'i, and Qalibaf lacks constitutional authority as a permanent solution. Iran's constitution now has no functioning implementation path. Trump confirmed the US had 'preemptively killed their next Supreme Leader' — suggesting additional targeted killing of Assembly members.
Key facts
- •Assembly of Experts offices bombed in Qom and Tehran
- •86-member body is the only constitutional path to a new Supreme Leader
- •Trump: 'We preemptively killed their next Supreme Leader'
- •Iran's constitutional succession mechanism now non-functional
- •Interim council (Pezeshkian, Mohseni-Eje'i, Qalibaf) lacks permanent authority
- •No known precedent in Islamic Republic history
Timeline
IDF strikes Assembly of Experts offices in Qom — clerical body targeted
Assembly of Experts office in Tehran also struck — both locations hit
Trump: 'We preemptively killed their next Supreme Leader'
Constitutional scholars: 'Islamic Republic has no functioning succession path'