New York Times: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warns of assassination and names 3 successors
The New York Times reported, citing informed Iranian sources, that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has taken exceptional measures to prevent a possible attack on him amid escalating military tensions with Israel.
According to the New York Times, Khamenei has already identified three candidates to succeed him in the event of his death.
According to three Iranian officials familiar with Iran’s emergency plan, Khamenei has suspended his use of electronic communications and communicates with the military leadership only through a trusted intermediary to reduce the possibility of tracking or hacking.
He has also moved into a fortified bunker and activated a series of replacements in leadership positions in anticipation of further losses within his inner circle.
Sources revealed that Khamenei has submitted a list of three prominent clerics to the Assembly of Experts, the body charged with selecting the Supreme Leader, as potential successors.
These measures come in light of recent surprise attacks by Israel, which targeted military and nuclear facilities inside Iran.
Officials indicated that this type of preemptive planning reflects Khamenei’s awareness of the magnitude of the looming threats, especially in light of talk of the possibility of direct intervention by the United States, under the leadership of former President Donald Trump, in any regional escalation.
Contrary to popular belief, the list of candidates to succeed Khamenei didn’t include his son, Mujtaba, despite him being a well-known cleric close to the Revolutionary Guards.
Ebrahim Raisi, the former conservative Iranian president, was also removed from the list after his death in a helicopter crash in 2024.
Sources confirmed that Khamenei, who normally runs state affairs from the “Command House” complex in central Tehran, has now moved to an underground facility due to heightened security concerns.
Officials explained that Iran is facing a war on two fronts: Israeli airstrikes on infrastructure and nuclear facilities, along with internal operations by active Israeli cells believed to be carrying out drone attacks and precision assassinations.
According to New York Times, the Iranian leadership is focusing on three major risks at this critical juncture:
Assassination of Khamenei or targeting of the supreme leadership.
Direct US military intervention in the escalating conflict.
Disrupting vital infrastructure such as power plants, refineries, and dams.
In this context, Khamenei said in a recorded message to the Iranian people, “We’ll not surrender in the face of an imposed war, and we will stand firm with all our might”.
These messages are part of the leadership’s strategy to maintain internal unity in the face of the greatest security challenge the country has faced in decades.
