Iran’s Leader Picks 3 Potential Successors Amid Assassination Threats
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly nominated three clerics as potential successors as he takes shelter in a secure underground bunker amid escalating threats from Israel, according to a Saturday report by The New York Times.
The 86-year-old leader, who has held the position since 1989, is said to be avoiding electronic communication and is relaying orders exclusively through a trusted aide. His decision follows warnings from Iran’s intelligence ministry, which has instructed all senior political and military officials to remain underground due to fears of further targeted assassinations.
Despite recent blows from Israeli airstrikes that killed multiple high-ranking Iranian military officials, sources cited by The Times say the Islamic Republic’s chain of command remains intact and there are no signs of internal dissent. Khamenei has reportedly prepared a contingency list of military replacements in case more senior officers are killed.
While the identities of the three nominated successors remain undisclosed, officials confirmed that Khamenei’s influential son, Mojtaba, is not among them. Mojtaba had been considered a likely heir after former president and presumed successor Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash last year.
The issue of succession — traditionally handled by Iran’s Assembly of Experts over several months — appears to have been fast-tracked by Khamenei in anticipation of a possible assassination, which he reportedly views as martyrdom. His goal, according to sources, is to ensure a smooth and stable transition of power to prevent chaos during wartime.
According to dissident media outlet Iran International, Khamenei and his family relocated to a shelter in the Lavizan district of northeast Tehran following Israel’s June 13 operations inside Iran. That report, however, remains unverified by independent sources.
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The heightened concerns come as tensions between Israel and Iran spiral. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that Khamenei “cannot continue to exist,” following Iranian missile strikes that hit a hospital in Beersheba and residential areas in central Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar have declined to confirm any targeting of Khamenei directly.
U.S. President Donald Trump is also reported to have blocked a previous Israeli attempt to assassinate Khamenei on the first day of the war. Speaking Tuesday, Trump claimed he knows Khamenei’s current location but is “holding off” for now. The president is expected to decide within weeks whether the U.S. will participate in strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, particularly the heavily fortified Fordo site.
Israel maintains its military offensive against Iran is necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from achieving its goal of destroying Israel. In response, Iran has launched more than 470 ballistic missiles and 1,000 drones, killing at least 24 and injuring thousands, according to Israeli health authorities.
Saturday saw the Israel Defense Forces confirm the killing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Palestinian Division commander — described as a mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
Acknowledging a major intelligence failure, Mahdi Mohammadi, adviser to Iran’s parliamentary speaker, said in audio cited by The Times: “Our senior commanders were all assassinated within one hour.”
Meanwhile, reformist figure Mohammad Ali Abtahi told the paper in a phone interview that the Israeli assault has inadvertently united various Iranian factions. “The war softened the divisions we had, both among each other and with the general public,” he said.
As the war rages on, the Islamic Republic appears to be tightening internal security and succession protocols — bracing for the possibility that the supreme leader’s era could end in a blaze of conflict.
