A member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts has revealed that the body will meet within the next 24 hours to begin the process of choosing a new supreme leader following the death of Ali Khamenei.
Hossein Mozafari, one of the 88 clerics in the influential body, disclosed the plan in comments reported by Iranian media on Saturday.
According to Mozafari, the Assembly of Experts is expected to gather soon to deliberate on the country’s leadership succession.
“With divine assistance, this session will occur within the next twenty-four hours,” Mozafari said, according to the Fars News Agency.
The development comes roughly a week after Khamenei was reportedly killed during a joint military strike carried out by the United States and Israel.
Mozafari also urged the Iranian public to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified reports about the succession process.
He advised citizens to “refrain from speculation and the spreading of rumours regarding this matter” until the assembly officially meets.
Meanwhile, the United States has criticised recent Iranian drone strikes near the border area of Azerbaijan, describing the attacks as a further escalation in the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The United States Department of State said the strikes targeted infrastructure in Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan.
According to the department, the attack hit an airport and a school, leaving several civilians injured.
“These strikes are a flagrant violation of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and a needless escalation of Iran’s aggression,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
He added that attacks against American allies in the region “are unacceptable and will be met with resolute US support for those partners.”
In a related development, explosions were reported late Saturday in Baghdad and Erbil, according to journalists from AFP.
The cause of the blasts in Baghdad was not immediately clear, though a witness near the heavily fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, said air defence systems were activated.
Several drones have reportedly been intercepted near Baghdad International Airport since tensions in the Middle East intensified.
In Erbil, an AFP journalist reported hearing a drone followed by at least three loud explosions.
The city hosts a major United States Consulate complex and has repeatedly intercepted drones since the outbreak of the conflict.