- By Supratik Das
- Mon, 16 Jun 2025 10:36 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Israel-Iran War: In the wake of rising tensions between Israel and Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been moved to an underground bunker located in northern Tehran, reports Iran International, citing diplomatic and intelligence sources. The move is said to involve all close family members of Khamenei, including his influential son, Mojtaba Khamenei. It comes following a series of fatal Israeli airstrikes against Iran's military and nuclear facilities, which have raised concerns of an expanded regional conflict.
Where is Ayatollah Khamenei Now?
Iran's Supreme Leader is reported to be taking shelter in an underground bunker heavily defended with concrete and steel in the Lavizan neighborhood, north-eastern Tehran, a site previously used in times of heightened military tension. The move of Khamenei was allegedly taken after Israeli strikes penetrated as far as the north-east city of Mashhad on Sunday, a location outside the normal reach of Israel's air operations. The claimed strike on Mashhad is being viewed as a warning message to Iran's top leadership that nowhere in the country is beyond reach. The upping of stakes represents one of the riskiest stages in the decades-old Israel-Iran confrontation.
In a provocative statement, a top Israeli official said to the local media that killing Iran's leaders was "not off the limits". Another top source told Israel’s Channel 12 that eliminating Khamenei had been considered “on the first night” of the strikes but was intentionally avoided to allow room for a diplomatic climbdown. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also warned that, "If Khamenei continues to bombard the Israeli home front with missiles, Tehran will burn." The comments have raised global concerns that an attack on a country's supreme leader could ignite an all-out Middle East war.
Trump Reportedly Opposed Khamenei Assassination
In a related development, CNN reported that US President Donald Trump had vetoed a plan by Israel to assassinate Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The report quotes US officials as saying Washington expressed its fierce opposition, claiming that such an attack would escalate into a disastrous regional war. “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” Trump said. On the other hand US administration delivered defensive aid to Israel, intercepting waves of Iranian retaliatory missile strikes. In the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the reports of assassination as "fake," stating that he would not comment on "conversations that never took place."
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World leaders at the G7 summit in Canada have shown deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation. The war has destabilised the world's energy markets and instilled fears of a multi-front conflict with proxy forces from Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Amid the upheaval, US officials are said to have indicated readiness to resume nuclear negotiations with Iran in the hope of preventing a broader war, although the chances seem to grow thinner.