Media: Iran's supreme leader moves to underground bunker Amid US strike threat

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has moved to a fortified underground bunker in Tehran amid fears of a possible US strike, while the country’s leadership is temporarily being handled by his son Masoud, The Jerusalem Post (JP) reports.

According to the newspaper, against the backdrop of protests sweeping the Islamic Republic and concerns that the US could carry out its threats to strike Iran, Supreme Leader Khamenei relocated to a “special underground shelter consisting of a network of tunnels in Tehran.”

The decision was reportedly made following an assessment by senior military and security officials of the ayatollahs’ regime, who warned of an “increased risk of a potential American attack.”

Media reports say that Masoud Khamenei, the third son of the ayatollah, has assumed the day-to-day duties of the Supreme Leader and is acting as the main channel of communication with the regime’s executive bodies.

The threat of a US attack reportedly increased after US President Donald Trump said on January 23 that American ships were heading toward Iran, adding that he “hopes he will not have to use them.”

By Khagan Isayev