TEHRAN – Iran’s Assembly of Experts commenced its session on Tuesday with the reading of a message from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, followed by the election of Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani as the new chairmn.

Movahedi Kermani replaces Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati and will hold the position for two years.

The message of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution was delivered at the opening of the session highlighting the profound significance of the Assembly within Iran's political landscape. Describing it as the epitome of Islamic democracy, Ayatollah Khamenei underscored the pivotal role of the 88-member body in Iran’s Islamic establishment.

In his message, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized the dual responsibility of the Assembly of Experts: to elect the Leader according to Islamic criteria and to itself be chosen by the people. He lauded this unique electoral process as a clear manifestation of the principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran, portraying it as a beacon of democratic governance intertwined with Islamic values.

Furthermore, Ayatollah Khamenei extolled the Assembly as one of the main pillars of the democratic Islamic establishment. He emphasized that the Assembly, strengthened by the nation, serves as a guarantor of the system's soundness. 

However, the commencement of the Assembly’s new term was overshadowed by the tragic absence of two esteemed members, President Ebrahim Raisi and Friday Prayers leader of Tabriz, Seyyed Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem. Both individuals met an untimely demise in a helicopter crash in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan. Ayatollah Khamenei, in his message, paid tribute to their memory, expressing profound sorrow and extending prayers for their divine mercy.

In addition to mourning the loss of these officials, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed the ongoing humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip. He condemned the Zionist regime’s brutal campaign, characterized by the indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians. Furthermore, he criticized the support extended by purportedly liberal Western governments to the "bloodthirsty wolf," highlighting the glaring disparity between Western rhetoric on freedom and human rights and their actions on the global stage.

In essence, Ayatollah Khamenei’s message underscored the pivotal role of the Assembly of Experts in Iran’s political landscape, while also mourning the loss of two esteemed members and condemning the ongoing atrocities in the Gaza Strip.