Iran’s supreme leader is supposed to be hiding in a bunker to escape Israel’s air strike. Now, a latest report that came out says that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has picked an array of replacements down his chain of military command in case more of his valued lieutenants are killed. Wary of assassination, he mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide, as he has suspended electronic communications to avoid tracking him. Here are the highlights of Khamenei’s bunker life and the potential successors list.
Khamenei Names Potential Successors
According to The New York Times report, in a surprising move, Iranian officials have said that Ayatollah Khamenei has named three senior clerics as possible successors if he is killed. This decision shows just how serious and uncertain the current situation is for him and the rule he has maintained for over 30 years. Ayatollah Khamenei has taken several unusual steps to protect the Islamic Republic after Israel carried out surprise attacks last Friday.
The Israeli attacks began just a week ago, but they are the biggest attacks Iran has faced since the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. These strikes have hit Tehran very hard. In just a few days, Israel caused more damage to the capital than what Saddam Hussein did during the entire eight-year war.
Iran was shocked at first but has now started to fight back. It is attacking Israel every day, hitting places like a hospital, an oil refinery, religious sites, and homes.
At the same time, Iran’s top leaders are quietly getting ready for different possible outcomes as the war gets worse. They are also watching to see if U.S. President Donald Trump will decide to join the war. Iranian officials shared this information but did not want to be named because they are not allowed to talk about the ayatollah’s plans.
Normally, the process of appointing a new supreme leader could take months, with clerics picking and choosing from their own lists of names. But with the nation now at war, the officials said, the ayatollah wants to ensure a quick, orderly transition and to preserve his legacy.
The Newyork Times- “The top priority is the preservation of the state,” said Vali Nasr, an Iran expert and professor of international affairs at Johns Hopkins University. “It is all calculative and pragmatic.”
Vali Faqih
The topic of who will take over after the supreme leader has always been sensitive and rarely talked about openly, except in the form of guesses and rumours among politicians and religious leaders. The supreme leader holds a lot of power. He leads the Iranian Armed Forces and controls the courts, the parliament, and the government. He is also the highest religious leader in the Shiite faith, known as the Vali Faqih.
Son Mojtaba In The List?
The Publication report says that Ayatollah Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, also a cleric and close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, who was rumoured to be a front-runner, is not among the candidates, the officials said. Iran’s former conservative president, Ibrahim Raisi, was also considered a front-runner before he was killed in a helicopter crash in 2024.
Since the war began, Ayatollah Khamenei has appeared in two recorded video messages. In the videos, he spoke in front of brown curtains with the Iranian flag beside him. He said, “The people of Iran will stand against a forced war,” and promised not to give in.
Normally, Ayatollah Khamenei lives and works in a very secure area in central Tehran called the “leader’s house.” He rarely leaves this place, except for special events like giving a sermon. Top government and military officials visit him there for weekly meetings, and his public speeches are usually filmed from this compound.
