Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named three clerics as potential successors in the event of his assassination, The New York Times reported. The report quoted unnamed Iranian officials as sources.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Lays Out The Process of Selection
The Iranian leader has taken this decision as Israel intensifies its strikes against Tehran under Operation Rising Lion.
Khamenei has reportedly also selected replacements for key military positions in case more of his top commanders are killed during the conflict, the report adds.
According to the NYT, the names of the successors remain undisclosed. However, the process laid out by Khamenei is designed to expedite the transition of power. In normal circumstances, the appointment of a new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts can take months. The selection process involves the clerical debate and deliberation. However, Khamenei, 86, has directed the Assembly to choose from the three names he provided to ensure swift continuity and to safeguard the legacy of the Islamic Republic.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Believed To Be Staying in Underground Bunker
Khamenei has reportedly gone into hiding in a bunker since the Israeli offensive. The Iranian supreme leader is communicating only through a trusted aide and avoiding electronic channels entirely, according to The New York Times. Other reports have made similar claims. Iran’s exiled royal Reza Pahlavi has also alleged that Khamenei had taken shelter “like a frightened rat.”
The NYT report notes that there is no visible sign of internal rebellion within the Iranian regime despite the large-scale destruction and mounting death toll.
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Mojtaba Khamenei Not named by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The NYT also cited officials saying Khamenei is aware that Israel or the United States could attempt to assassinate him. The report says that if the leader is killed, he views such a death as martyrdom.
“Ayatollah Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed,” the report said.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader’s influential son and a close figure to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), is not among the three named successors, the NYT report reveals.
Israel is believed to be looking to target Tehran’s secretive Fordow nuclear facility. The move to destroy the facility has drawn international attention. Experts suggest that the United States possesses the capability to destroy the underground site using its GBU-57 bunker-busting bomb, delivered by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers.
Also Read: Iran’s Isfahan Nuclear Facility Hit in Latest Israeli Attacks, IAEA Says
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
