A video from 1989 showing the dramatic moment when Iran’s clerical leadership selected a successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini has resurfaced online and is rapidly gaining attention on social media. The footage captures an extraordinary closed-door session of the Assembly of Experts convened shortly after Khomeini’s death in June 1989. During the meeting, then Iranian president Ali Khamenei initially resisted the proposal to appoint him as the country’s next supreme leader, arguing that he did not believe he possessed the religious authority required for the role under Iran’s constitutional and clerical traditions.
Emergency Leadership Meeting
The resurfaced video shows a tense session of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for choosing the country’s supreme leader. The meeting was held soon after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founding leader of the Islamic Republic.
At the time, Ali Khamenei was serving as Iran’s president and held the clerical title of hojatoleslam, a mid-ranking religious position. The role of supreme leader, however, was traditionally expected to be held by a higher-ranking cleric.
During the discussion, Khamenei openly questioned his suitability for the role.
“This matter is a real and serious issue. From the perspective of the constitution-and also from a religious standpoint-many rational people believe that I do not possess the qualifications required for such a responsibility. Why should such a decision be made?”
He continued to argue against the proposal, emphasising that he did not believe he deserved the position.
“I truly believe that I am not worthy of this position. I myself know this, and perhaps you gentlemen know it as well. If you choose someone like me for this role, we should all shed tears of blood.”
Rafsanjani Calls The Vote
Despite his objections, senior cleric and politician Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who chaired the meeting, moved to bring the debate to an end.
According to the footage, Rafsanjani urged members of the assembly to proceed directly to a vote rather than continue discussions. He suggested that Khamenei could initially serve as leader on a temporary basis until a constitutional referendum clarified the formal requirements for the position.
Rafsanjani then asked those in support of Khamenei’s leadership to stand.
The video shows nearly all the clerics in the chamber rising to their feet, effectively signalling approval. Khamenei appears visibly emotional in the footage, lowering his head and wiping tears from his eyes as the decision unfolded.
The Assembly of Experts later confirmed him as Iran’s supreme leader, a role he has held since 1989.
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