Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, one of the most powerful clerics in Iran, has warned of a plot to take over the Assembly of Experts, a body that chooses and monitors Iran’s supreme leader.

While Jannati’s March 30 speech in Mashhad was vague and did not accuse any specific group of being behind such a plot, his comments made headlines across conservative and hard-line websites in Iran and have raised questions and inspired speculation on social media about succession after the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ends.

“Election of the experts is extremely important because it is related to the supreme leader and the pillars of the revolution, and some are right now planning to seize the Assembly of Experts,” Jannati warned.

“The only institution that can make decisions about the supreme leader is the Assembly of Experts,” he continued. “If the leader loses his health, it is the Assembly of Experts that can dismiss or limit his powers. Therefore, now that some want, by penetrating the Assembly of Experts, to conquer this stronghold, the responsibility of the Guardian Council becomes heavier.”