Under siege, Iran’s Supreme Leader picks successors in case of death Three officials tell NYT

As Israeli airstrikes intensify and speculation grows over US intervention, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has taken unprecedented steps to ensure the continuity of his regime and personal survival, according to Iranian officials, quoted by the New York Times.

Now operating from a secretive underground bunker, the 86-year-old leader has suspended electronic communications and is communicating with military commanders through a trusted aide. According to three senior Iranian officials familiar with his emergency war plans, Khamenei is concerned about assassination attempts amid what Tehran believes is deep Israeli infiltration of its security ranks.

“His life is in danger, and there is a unit responsible for his protection that no one even knew existed to avoid any chance of infiltration,” said one Iranian official.

In a dramatic move, Khamenei has named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him, bypassing the usual months-long selection process handled by the Assembly of Experts. He has reportedly instructed the clerical body to choose swiftly from this shortlist if he is killed.

“The top priority is the preservation of the state,” said Vali Nasr, Iran expert at Johns Hopkins University. “It is all calculative and pragmatic.”

The war, now over a week old, marks the most intense military assault on Iran since the 1980s. Tehran officials acknowledge that Israel’s air campaign has inflicted more destruction on the capital than Iraq did in eight years of war. Key military installations, nuclear scientists’ residences, and strategic infrastructure have all been targeted.

Iran has responded with daily counterstrikes on Israeli cities, including Haifa and Tel Aviv, while also accusing Israel of deploying ground operatives inside Iran. Officials cite fears of internal sabotage and have declared a state of high alert across all security branches. “It is clear that we had a massive security and intelligence breach; there is no denying this,” admitted Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran’s parliament speaker, in a leaked recording.

The fear of deeper penetration by Israeli intelligence has prompted Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence to ban the use of electronic communications by senior officials and order them to remain underground. Checkpoints have been set up across Tehran, and the internet and international calls have been largely shut down. “The internet is being abused to harm the lives and livelihoods of civilians,” said presidential communications director Ali Ahmadinia.

The government’s concern is not limited to foreign threats. A chilling announcement from the Supreme National Security Council on Friday warned anyone collaborating with the enemy to surrender by Sunday or face execution.

Tehran, once bustling, has emptied out. Israeli leaflets warning civilians to flee certain neighbourhoods sparked a mass exodus, leaving highways eerily silent. Yet inside Iran, a surge of national solidarity has emerged — even from critics of the regime.

Hotels and wedding halls have opened to shelter the displaced. Bakers ration bread to ensure others can eat. Psychologists offer free therapy online. “We are scared, but we are giving each other solidarity, love and kindness,” said Reza, a businessman who fled to the Caspian coast with his family.

Reformist politician Mohammad Ali Abtahi described a moment of rare unity: “The war has softened the divisions we had, both among each other and with the general public.”

Even Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist and longtime critic of the Islamic Republic, condemned the war. “Democracy cannot come through violence and war,” she told the BBC.

Ayatollah Khamenei, despite his retreat from public view, has released two video addresses in recent days. “The people of Iran will stand against a forced war,” he said, appearing against a brown curtain with a portrait of Ayatollah Khomeini at his side — a symbolic gesture of defiance and continuity.

By Tamilla Hasanova