The important post of heading the Assembly of Experts is now up for grabs, with the former assembly chair, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, having failed in his bid to be re-elected to the body Feb. 26. The new assembly leader will have an influential role in determining the next supreme leader, should the occasion arise, and in dictating national talking points.
Yazdi did not mince words in his last speech as a member and chairman of the assembly, delivered March 8. He warned that the nature of the Islamic Republic's governing system must be preserved and that one should be wary of the enemy’s smile, the latter a clear message to President Hassan Rouhani.
