Iranian Analyst Calls for Provisional Government After Khamenei’s Death

Dr. Ramesh Sepehrrad, Iranian policy analyst and board member of the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC), said the ongoing unrest inside Iran marks what she described as the final stage in the collapse of the Velayat-e Faqih system. She argued that the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has effectively ended the ruling structure that has governed the country for decades.

Sepehrrad stated that the developments unfolding in Iranian cities represent a decisive confrontation between the Iranian public and the state’s security apparatus.

“What we are witnessing is a genuine struggle taking place in the streets and public squares of Iranian cities,” she said. “With the death of the tyrant Khamenei, the era of Velayat-e Faqih has effectively ended. The regime’s leadership structure no longer possesses the ability to maintain its former authoritarian formula, and the Iranian people have turned the page on this system.”

She expressed support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI) proposal to establish a provisional government to oversee a transitional phase in the country.

According to Sepehrrad, the proposed interim administration would be tasked with transferring political authority to the Iranian people and organizing a path toward democratic governance through free and fair elections.

“Our position remains clear: ‘No Shah, No Mullah,’” she said. “The Iranian people rejected the Shah’s dictatorship in the past and are now rejecting the rule of the clerical establishment. They will not accept the re-creation of any authoritarian system. The only viable solution is a democratic republic.”

Sepehrrad also pointed to what she described as the role of organized resistance networks inside Iran, saying these groups are playing a central role in mobilizing protests and confronting state forces.

She highlighted the Ten-Point Plan proposed by NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi, describing it as a framework for a future democratic Iran that includes separation of religion and state, gender equality, and a commitment to a non-nuclear policy.

Sepehrrad said the initiative has gained increasing international attention, particularly among lawmakers in the United States and the United Kingdom, whom she said view it as a potential democratic alternative.

“The regime of Velayat-e Faqih has reached its inevitable end,” she said. “Iran stands at the threshold of a new chapter in which sovereignty is restored to the people and the country transitions toward democracy, stability, and peace.”