By Lattef Adegbite and Suleiman Umaru
Ali Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran Islamic Republic, may have had a premonition of his possible elimination amid the rising threats of the state of Israel and the North American country of the United States, US. This may have encouraged him to quickly appoint Ali Larijani, a senior cleric, as his successor, in order to continue from where he had stopped.
Recall that Benjamin Netayanhu, he Prime Minister of the State of Israel and the US, President Donald Trump, may not have hated the Iran Republic Supreme Leader because of his nuclear weapon ambition and funding of the country’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, RGC, a designated foreign terrorist Organisation, that extends training and supply of sophisticated weapons to other terrorists Organisations like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS, Hezbollah, and Hamas, and al-Qaida and using these Terror groups to wield influence in the Middle East region.
The Iranian Supreme Leader was said to have also extended same financial support, training and supply of advanced weapons to Boko Haram, the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, Bandits Group, and other T-Groups in Nigeria including Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Mali, all member countries of the Alliance Fo Sahel States, AES, through the RGC, and thus using the special Force to also wield influence in the West African subregion.
In Nigeria, the Iranian Supreme Leader, was said to have effectively used the likes of Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, led Brotherhood linked to the Shah Movement, which has a bond with Turkey to sustain terrorism in the country. Mujahid Asari Dokubo, reportedly had said that even he is the Supreme Leader of the Muslims in South Eastern religion but Sheikh Gumi, has control over the terrorists operating in northern Nigeria.
Notwithstanding that the Iran Islamic Republic Supreme Leader had a good working relationship with Sheikh Gumi, Brotherhood, he was said to have also had a close link to Muhammad Saiad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Community in Nigeria and also head of the Jama’at Nusrat ul al-Islam, JNI, Organisation, JNI, in Nigeria, which may have given the Shiite Brotherhood Movement in Iran, Iran and ISIS, an easy access to the T-Groups in Nigeria.
There are indications that for the 39 years of ruling the Iran Islamic Republic, the deceased Khamenei never failed in releasing funds to the terrorists Groups in the Middle East region and the African Continent, which was said to have progressively risen to US$ 1 billion, yearly.
The state of Israel, may have used the 12-day war with Iran, in June 2025, which the country intelligence ministry had claimed were moves by the Israel and US, to target to kill the Supreme Leader and destabilize Iran. This may have strengthened the resolve the Israeli military and the MOSSAD, described as the second-largest spy agency in the Western world and the US, Pentagon and the CIA, to go back to the drawing board to perfect plans of eliminating the Iranian Supreme Leader this time aroud.
The opportunity came on Saturday, February 28, 2026, when the Iranian Republic Supreme Leader, his son-In-law and daughter-In-law, and other members of the family including a number of top Iranian military and political figures were killed in air strikes in his office in a coordinated attack carried out by Israel, US, and 100 Mujahideen el- Khalq fighters in Tehran, the country’s Capital as the over 8000, Elitist Force, could not protect them in fortress, described as impregnable, fueling speculations making the rounds that it was internal sabotage.
President Trump, who had wasted no time in announcing the death the Iranian Republic Supreme Leader, believed to have been involved over the years in exporting terrorism to other parts of the world, had said that’’ he will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history’’.
May believes that the massive Israeli, US and Muuuuuujahideen el-Khalq , attack , on the Iranian Supreme Leader residence which was aimed at a regime change in the country has finally put Supreme Leader in the league of Adolf Hitler of Germany, Benito Mussolini of Italy, and Joseph Stalin, of the old Union of Soviet Socialist Republic , USSR, which had collapsed and now split into 15 different autonomous Republics, including Russian Federation, plotted and executed by late President Ronald Regan, one-time American, in 1994.
The Iranian Republic deceased Supreme Leader may have played into the hands of the state of Isrel, US and the Mujahideen el-Khalq fighters, when the country attacked the US military bases in Israel, and other targets in the Middle East region including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar.
The American President who could not hide his feelings that one of his most sought -after enemies in the world, Kahamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has been killed, had called on the people to take advantage of the weakened State of Iran’s rulers and pursue regime change.
The US President may have given his words to Mujahideen el-Kalq fighting to overthrow the Iran Supreme Leader Revolutionary Islamic Government and the people of Iran that they are not alone in the fight to reclaim their country from the Muslim diehard clerics when he assured ‘’that the sea and air operations that had been launched in the Islamic Republic on Saturday, February 28, 2026, which had already claimed many top military and government officials ‘’will continue uninterrupted as long as necessary’’.
Meanwhile oil tankers from the region are currently being diverted from the strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. to avoid throwing the world into oil crisis.
Given that Iran is entering a transitional period in its history with the death of the feared Supreme Leader, Khamenei, may have forced the Cabinet to select a three-man Council to fill the vacuum and run the affairs of the country until a new Supreme Leader is chosen by an elected body of 88 senior clerics known in Islamic circles as an Assembly of Experts.
Note that the 88-member Assembly of Experts, first major task was said to have been hastily carried out since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, when the then late Khamenei, was chosen following the death of Ayotollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who had ruled the country for more than three decades.
The Iranian Cabinet may have taken the bold initiative to select a three-man Council, to run the affairs of the country as the deceased Supreme Leader’s appointee sLarijani, who was to be his successor could not muster the courage to step into his shoe, let alone take absolute control of the state machinery.
The 88- member Assembly of Experts, who are expected to choose a successor from the number of senior clerics jostling for the vacant position, an Iranian government official had said had been mandated to take into account the qualifications of the Candidates as stipulated in the country’ Constitution, to make a choice. The message was very clear that’’ a new Iran Supreme Leder Leader must be a male cleric with political competence, moral authority and loyalty to the Islamic Republic’’.
The pressure on the late Khamenei, the immediate past Supreme Leader of the Iran Republic by the Opposition to make some changes in the Constitution, to accommodate diverse views, may have given the Assembly of Experts who had not departed from late Khamenei style of Administration the audacity to interpret the rules of the game to exclude reformist Clerics who favour greater social freedoms with the outside world.
This may have brightened the chances of Mojtaba, the late Khamenei’s second son, described as a hardliner and who has the ambition to occupy the office of the Supreme Leader of the Iranian Republic, to continue from where his father had stopped.
The young Khamenei, who wields significant influence behind the scenes and has strong links with the, RGC, the most powerful military body in the country as well as its volunteer paramilitary force, appears to be using that contact to his own advantage but the Shiite Muslim clerical establishment, who believes that he is not a high- ranking cleric and has not officially assigned any role in the fallen regime may not support him which may polarize the county into political camps.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, another contender for the Iran Supreme Leader’s position, described as a close ally and a confidant of the Late Khamenei, though a lesser-known figure in the Iranian Revolutionary government appears to be favoured as a replacement for the deceased Supreme Leader as an established cleric with a track-record in government institutions.
Currently serving as the deputy Chairman of the 88-member Assembly of Experts and has been a member of the powerful Guardian Council, which vets’ election of Candidates into Parliament and Laws passed by the Parliamentarians and who also serves as the Head of the country’s Seminary system, may have positioned him to clinch the position of the Supreme Leader of the Republic with ease.
However, the worry of many of the senior clerics was that despite his closeness to the late Supreme Leader of the Republic, he has a low profile domestically and isn’t known to have strong ties to the RGC, which was a big minus.
Other top contenders for the late Khamenei’s position as the Supreme Leader of the Iran Islamic Republic includes one Hassan Khomeini, who is in his early 50s and grandson of Khomeini, the founder of the Iran Islami Republic, which may have given him a religious and revolutionary legitimacy and Hashehri Hosseini Bushehri, who is in his late 60s, believed to be closely linked to the Assembly of Experts, where he had served as the first deputy Chairman.
The Iranian Assembly of Experts may have read handwriting on the wall that something urgently needed to be done to save the country from imminent religious and political crisis by going ahead without further delay to select the next Supreme Leader of the Republic as the US President Trump , who may not be smiling, has given his words ‘’that the sea and air .operations’’ launched in the country on Saturday, February 28, 2026, which had claimed many top military and other government officials including Khamenei family members ‘’will continue uninterrupted as long as necessary’’.
information emerging from the Iranian Government quarters, indicates that the ruling establishment will want to move quickly to show to the Internationational Community that there is stability in the Republic, as the 88-member Assembly of Experts are expected to convene soon to deliberate over possible Candidates jostling for the country’s Supreme Leader position, before naming late Khamenei’s successor. The international Community are watching to see who the 88- member Assembly of Experts of the Iran Islamic Republic will select as the country’s next Leader.
In a related development, oil tankers from the country and other oil producing countries in the Middle East region and other Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, are currently being diverted from the strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf to avoid throwing the world into oil crisis.
