Media: Hardline clerics call for quick election of Iran's new supreme leader

Hardline clerics have called for the swift election of a new supreme leader to help lead Iran, Iranian media reported on Monday, as the Islamic Republic faces a fresh wave of US and Israeli strikes.

The calls suggest that parts of the religious establishment may be uncomfortable with power remaining in the hands of a three-member council that temporarily took over after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had the final say in all state matters, according to Reuters.

United States President Donald Trump said earlier that the United States should have a role in choosing a new leader, a claim Iran has rejected.

Iranian media today quoted Ayatollah Hossein Mozaffari, one of the members of the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the religious body tasked with choosing the next leader, as saying that the assembly could meet within the next 24 hours to make a decision.

It was not clear whether this would involve a face-to-face meeting. Sources said some clerics had previously held consultations online.

Mozafari's statement followed earlier comments by hardline clerics who called for a quick decision.

Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, whose title means he enjoys a wide following when it comes to his religious rulings, said the appointment was needed quickly to "help better organize state affairs," state media reported.

Last week, two senior Shiite religious authorities also issued fatwas, or religious decrees, calling on Muslims around the world to avenge Khamenei's assassination. Makarem Shirazi said it was a religious duty for Muslims "until the evil of these criminals is eradicated from the world."

Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani also called on members of the Assembly of Experts to speed up the process of selecting Khamenei's successor, state media reported.

In accordance with the rules set out in the Iranian constitution, a three-member council consisting of the president, a senior cleric and the head of the judiciary has assumed the role of supreme leader until the assembly makes a decision.

The constitution stipulates that the supreme leader should be elected within three months.