Iran Israel war: Assassination fears grip Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, panic sets in secret bunker, claims report

Israel strikes are the biggest military assault on Iran since its war with Iraq in the 1980s. Iran appears to have overcome its initial shock, reorganizing enough to launch daily counterstrikes of its own on Israel. Iran's top officials are also quietly making preparations for a wide range of outcomes as the war intensifies and as President Donald Trump considers whether to enter the fight. Wary of assassination, Iran's supreme leader mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications to make it harder to find him, three Iranian officials familiar with his emergency war plans say, as per a report.

Ensconced in a bunker, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has picked an array of replacements down his chain of military command in case more of his valued lieutenants are killed, NYT News Service reported.

And in a remarkable move, Khamenei has even named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed as well -- perhaps the most telling illustration of the precarious moment he and his three-decade rule are facing.


86-year-old Khamenei is aware that either Israel or the United States could try to assassinate him. Given the possibility, the ayatollah has made the unusual decision to instruct his nation's Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader, to choose his successor swiftly from the three names he has provided.

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 ayatollah wants to ensure a quick, orderly transition and to preserve his legacy, as per the NYT News Service report.

FAQs

Q1. Who is Supreme Leader of Iran?
A1. Supreme Leader of Iran is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Q2. Who is President of USA?
A2. President of USA is Donald Trump.