Iranian clerics convene to choose Ayatollah successor

NPR | By Jackie Northam

Published March 5, 2026 at 3:49 AM CST

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As clerics convene to replace Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after his death in an Israeli strike, Iran faces a pivotal choice that could either cement hardline continuity under his son or usher in a fundamentally transformed regime.

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Jackie Northam

Jackie Northam is NPR's International Affairs Correspondent. She is a veteran journalist who has spent three decades reporting on conflict, geopolitics, and life across the globe - from the mountains of Afghanistan and the desert sands of Saudi Arabia, to the gritty prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and the pristine beauty of the Arctic.

See stories by Jackie Northam