Ten (10) Things To Know About Iranian Acting Leader, Arafi

Iran’s interim leadership council has appointed Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as the clerical member of the body exercising the powers of the Supreme Leader, following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Arafi, a senior Shi’a cleric, assumed the role on March 1, 2026, in line with Article 111 of the Iranian Constitution, which provides for a temporary leadership arrangement pending the selection of a new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts.

Here are ten key facts about the acting Iranian leader:

1. Born in 1959 in Meybod, Yazd Province, Arafi rose through Iran’s clerical ranks over several decades.

2. Ayatollah Alireza Arafi practices Islam, follows the Twelver Shi’a denomination, adheres to Ja‘fari jurisprudence, and upholds the Usuli creed.

3. In Qom, he completed his primary school education. At the same time, he began his seminary courses and preliminary courses. Later, he also attended seminary courses and learned Arabic and English. Furthermore, he studied mathematics and philosophy. (Qom is widely regarded as Iran’s religious capital and a major centre of Shi’a scholarship).

4. Arafi has attained the rank of mujtahid because of his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and philosophy, and he has authored and co‑authored numerous works on these subjects — including the book Education Jurisprudence (Al‑Fiqh Al‑Tarbawi). Some of his academic articles, published in Iranian journals, cover topics such as Islamic jurisprudence, educational law, and social issues.

5. Between 2008 and 2018, he was President of Al-Mustafa International University, an institution that trains clerics and religious scholars from Iran and abroad.

6. He has served as the Friday Prayer Imam of Qom since 2015 Get The Full, Details. .