- By Ajeet Kumar
- Sat, 21 Jun 2025 07:17 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has quietly named three senior clerics as potential successors in the event he is killed in a war with Israel, The New York Times reported, citing three Iranian officials familiar with Tehran's emergency wartime planning. The rare move underscores the seriousness with which the 86-year-old leader views the current crisis, as Israeli airstrikes continue to target Iranian military and nuclear facilities.
Khamenei removes his son name from successors list
According to the report, Khamenei is now operating from a secure underground facility in Lavizan, northeast Tehran, and communicates through a trusted aide. His family, including his son Mojtaba Khamenei, has also been moved to the bunker amid growing security concerns.
While Mojtaba, a cleric closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was previously rumoured to be a leading successor, he is not among the three individuals chosen by the Supreme Leader, the officials said. The identities of the selected clerics have not been disclosed. The decision is reportedly aimed at ensuring a smooth transition through Iran’s Assembly of Experts in the event of Khamenei’s sudden death or assassination.
Separately, Iran International reported that Khamenei has delegated key decision-making powers to the IRGC’s Supreme Council as a wartime safeguard. This move would allow critical military and political decisions to continue even if the Supreme Leader becomes incapacitated.
Israel has hinted its next target could be Khamenei
Khamenei, in power since 1989, is still the ultimate authority of everything from foreign policy to nuclear policy. But as Israeli missiles strike Tehran and pillars of trust are taken out, the regime's once ironclad grip on office begins to fray. With both the United States and Israel threatening further escalation, the next few days may determine the Islamic Republic's and the region's future.
Khamenei sees his inner circle hollowed out by Israel
Khamenei cuts an increasingly lonely figure. Khamenei has seen his main military and security advisers killed by Israeli air strikes, leaving major holes in his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process.
Several senior military commanders have been killed since Friday including Khamenei's main advisers from the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's elite military force: the Guards' overall commander Hossein Salami, its aerospace chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh who headed Iran's ballistic missile program and spymaster Mohammad Kazemi.
These men were part of the supreme leader's inner circle of roughly 15-20 advisers comprising Guards commanders, clerics, and politicians, according to the sources who include three people who attend or have attended meetings with the leader on major issues and two close to officials who regularly attend. Now, as Israel targetted big names in Iran very preciosuly, it is possible the next target could be Khamenei.
(Wiht inputs from agency)