TEHRAN (Dunya News) - Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected any foreign interference in the selection of the country’s new supreme leader, saying the matter is strictly an internal issue of Iran.
According to Arab media reports, Araghchi said the appointment of the supreme leader is entirely Iran’s domestic affair.
He added that attacks on American targets were a legitimate act of self-defence, stressing that the war was not Iran’s choice but was imposed on the country.
The Iranian foreign minister also warned that US military bases located in neighboring countries could be targeted.
“Wherever American bases exist in the region, they may become targets,” he said.
Araghchi further stated that military cooperation with Russia would continue, describing it as part of a long-term strategic partnership between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the clerical body that will choose Iran's next supreme leader, succeeding the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has more or less reached a majority consensus, Assembly of Experts member Ayatollah Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri said on Sunday.
The Mehr news agency quoted him as saying "some obstacles" still needed to be resolved regarding the process.
Two members of the panel, Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir and Ahmad Alamolhoda, said the assembly had chosen a successor, according to Iranian media.
Alamolhoda said the head of the assembly's secretariat, Ayatollah Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, is responsible for announcing the assembly’s decision.
Iranian media said the group had a minor disagreement over whether they would need to meet in person to issue their final decision, or bypass this formality.