Khamenei prepares successor amid assassination fears

Officials were reportedly instructed to designate multiple replacements for key positions.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has quietly issued contingency instructions to senior officials outlining how the country should function if he is killed in potential U.S. or Israeli strikes, according to a report published Sunday by The New York Times.

The report states that amid nationwide protests and rising military threats earlier this year, Khamenei transferred significant day-to-day authority to longtime confidant Ali Larijani, effectively positioning him to manage the state during a period of crisis.

Larijani, 67, a veteran political figure, former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and current head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has since taken a leading role in decision-making, the report said.

According to The New York Times, Iran’s leadership has moved beyond military preparations and is now focused on ensuring the regime’s political continuity in the event of a major conflict.

Officials were reportedly instructed to designate multiple replacements for key positions, with each senior figure required to identify four potential successors.

Authority has also been delegated to a small circle of trusted aides capable of making critical decisions even if communications with the supreme leader’s office are cut off.

Nasser Imani, a conservative analyst close to the Iranian government, told the newspaper that Khamenei’s reliance on Larijani reflects a long-standing relationship built on trust.

“The supreme leader fully trusts Larijani,” Imani said, adding that Khamenei views him as the most suitable figure to guide the country through a sensitive security moment. According to Imani, Larijani’s influence would become especially prominent in wartime conditions.

Experts cited in the report say the measures indicate that Iran’s leadership is preparing simultaneously for conflict and succession.

Vali Nasr, an Iran specialist at Johns Hopkins University, told the newspaper that Khamenei appears to be confronting the possibility of his own death while attempting to preserve the system he built.

“He is expecting to be a martyr and thinking this is my system and legacy, and I will stand until the end,” Nasr said. “He is distributing power and preparing the state for the next big thing, both succession and war.”

The planning discussions reportedly include scenarios addressing who would govern the country if Khamenei and other senior leaders were killed, as well as identifying figures capable of maintaining continuity during a national emergency.

Officials familiar with the deliberations told the newspaper that Larijani currently tops the list of potential interim leaders.

The reported preparations come as tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel remain elevated, with military options and leadership targeting scenarios increasingly discussed in Western policy circles.

According to the report, Iranian officials now view both internal unrest and the threat of external military action as simultaneous risks requiring unprecedented political and security planning.