After the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Seyed Khamenei, CNN named five possible contenders for the position of head of the Islamic Republic.

Among the candidates mentioned by the American television channel is Khamenei’s second son, 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei.

According to CNN, Mojtaba Khamenei wields significant influence behind the scenes and has strong ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the country’s most powerful military structure, as well as its Basij force.

The second candidate for the position of Iran’s Supreme Leader named by the channel is 67-year-old Alireza Arafi.

According to the broadcaster, Arafi is less well known but is an authoritative cleric with experience in government institutions and was also a trusted associate of Khamenei.

He currently serves as deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts and is a member of the influential Guardian Council, which vets election candidates and legislation passed by parliament. He also heads Iran’s seminary system.

The third contender is 60-year-old Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri.

As the American outlet notes, Mirbagheri is a hardline cleric and a member of the Assembly of Experts, representing the most conservative wing of the religious establishment.

Next is 50-year-old Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Islamic Revolution.

He serves as the custodian of Khomeini’s mausoleum but has not held government office and apparently does not have significant influence over the country’s security apparatus or ruling elite. He is known to take a less hardline position than his peers.

Rounding out the list of candidates for Iran’s leadership is Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, who, according to the channel, is around 70 years old.

Bushehri is a senior cleric closely connected to institutions responsible for succession, particularly the Assembly of Experts, where he serves as first deputy chairman. He is said to have been close to Khamenei but has not drawn much attention domestically and is not known to have close ties with the IRGC.