How Iran’s most powerful institution traces part of its history to India

Iran is confronting one of the most consequential turning points in its post 1979 history following reports that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in coordinated United States–Israel strikes on Tehran. Iranian state television confirmed early Sunday that the 86 year old leader had died and announced a 40 day mourning period, even as retaliatory missile and drone launches signalled the risk of wider escalation.
The immediate questions are strategic. Who controls Iran’s security apparatus in the interim? How quickly can the Assembly of Experts move to appoint a successor? Will the transition reinforce the system or expose internal fault lines?