Iranian religious clerks and members of the Assembly of Experts are considering forming a new leadership to replace the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei or Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to the Arab news network Al-Arabiya. According to the report, the religious leadership wants to end the massive protests that have claimed the lives of dozens of Iranians since the national elections in the country just over a week ago.
The movement is being led by Ayatollah Rafsanjani, one of Iran’s most powerful men. Police arrested five of his family members on Saturday, including his eldest daughter who was later released. Discussions of replacing Iran’s leaders have taken place in meetings in Qom and include Jawad al-Shahristani, representative of Iraq Shiite leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.