Hardline clerics have called for the swift selection of a new supreme leader to help guide Iran, Iranian media reported on Saturday, as the Islamic Republic reels under a new wave of U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to Reuters.
The calls suggest some in the clerical establishment may be uncomfortable leaving power in the hands of the three-man council put in charge temporarily after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had the final say in all matters of state.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. should have a role in choosing the new leader, a demand Iran has rejected.
Iranian media late on Saturday cited Ayatollah Hossein Mozafari, one of the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the clerical body charged with choosing the next leader, as saying the assembly could meet in the next 24 hours to make a decision.
It was not clear if that would involve an in-person gathering. Sources said some clerics had previously held consultations online.
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