Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly selected three senior clerics as possible successors in the event of his assassination, amid growing fears over Israeli strikes during the escalating conflict in the region.
According to an investigative report by The New York Times on Saturday, the 86-year-old leader, now believed to be operating from a secure underground bunker, made the private selection following a series of high-profile assassinations allegedly carried out by Israeli forces targeting Iran’s military elite.
Significantly, the report reveals that Khamenei’s powerful son, Mojtaba, often speculated to be his heir apparent, was deliberately excluded from the list — a sharp departure from long-standing succession rumours.
“The Supreme Leader has nominated three clerics as successors while in hiding,” the Times reported, citing confidential Iranian sources close to the regime. “Mojtaba is not among them.”
The Jerusalem Post corroborated the revelations, further stating that Khamenei has also quietly named replacements throughout Iran’s military hierarchy to ensure continuity of command if Israeli strikes intensify.
Under Iran’s constitution, the successor to the Supreme Leader is to be chosen by the Assembly of Experts — a powerful 88-member clerical body. However, Khamenei’s latest moves suggest an effort to influence the transition in advance, bypassing formal procedures to secure the continuity of his ideological doctrine and hardline policies.
Analysts say the decision to name three clerics instead of one reflects a lack of consensus among Iran’s leadership, as well as an urgent need for contingency planning under the shadow of war. The identities of the clerics remain undisclosed, though they are believed to be trusted allies aligned with the regime’s conservative faction.
“This is succession planning under fire,” said a regional intelligence official quoted in the Times. “Khamenei’s actions show the regime is actively bracing for a worst-case scenario.”
Beyond Tehran, the development carries wide-reaching geopolitical implications. The possibility of instability at the highest level of Iran’s leadership could further inflame tensions across the Middle East, already on edge after Israeli strikes killed top Iranian and Hezbollah commanders in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, uncertainty looms over whether the Assembly of Experts will assert its constitutional authority or if Khamenei’s handpicked successors will steer Iran’s future in a more controlled but contested manner.
With no official confirmation yet from Iranian state media, the international community watches closely as the Islamic Republic appears to prepare for a dramatic leadership transition in the midst of conflict.
