IranWire:

ATA MAHAMAD

The rumors began during the war.

As Israeli missiles rained down on Iranian cities during 12 days of warfare in June, Ali Khamenei vanished from public view.

His absence from scheduled appearances sent shockwaves through Tehran's corridors of power and triggered something unprecedented in the Islamic Republic's 45-year history: open speculation about who might replace Iran's Supreme Leader.

Within hours, political observers were publishing analyses, while names were whispered in seminary halls and government offices. For the first time, the forbidden question of succession had entered public consciousness.

Five clerics have since emerged from the shadows as potential heirs to one of the world's most powerful religious positions.

Each represents a different vision for Iran's future, though all remain firmly within the hardline establishment that has ruled since 1979.

Their competition will determine not just Iran's next leader, but also the direction of a nation whose influence extends across the Middle East.

Khamenei, now 86, has ruled Iran for 35 years, wielding ultimate authority over everything from nuclear policy to domestic crackdowns.

His death would trigger the most significant political transition in the Islamic Republic's history.

As the succession drama unfolds, these five men - Alireza Arafi, Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, Ahmad Hosseini Khorasani, Mohammad Reza Modarresi Yazdi, and Hassan Ameli - have begun positioning themselves for the ultimate prize in Iranian politics.

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