Iran’s leadership is quietly preparing for a scenario they once considered unthinkable: the possible assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

According to a report by The New York Times, Khamenei has instructed senior associates on how to act if he is killed in potential U.S. or Israeli strikes, laying out detailed contingency plans that include layered succession orders and emergency chains of command.

The report, based on interviews with senior Iranian officials, Revolutionary Guards members, and former diplomats, says Khamenei moved decisively during last month’s nationwide protests and rising military tensions. At the height of the unrest, he elevated longtime loyalist Ali Larijani to a central governing role, effectively placing him in charge of day-to-day state affairs.

Larijani, a former Revolutionary Guards commander and veteran political figure, has since overseen the crackdown on protesters, managed sensitive nuclear diplomacy with Washington, and coordinated with regional allies, including Russia, Qatar, and Oman. He is also reportedly leading wartime planning as Iran braces for the possibility of U.S. strikes.

While Larijani is not viewed as a likely successor to Khamenei—largely because he is not a senior Shiite cleric—officials describe him as one of the supreme leader’s most trusted crisis managers, relied upon in moments of extreme danger.

The report says Khamenei has established multiple layers of successors for key military and political positions and has delegated sweeping authority to a tight inner circle in case communications are cut or leadership is disrupted by an attack.

At the same time, Iran has moved its armed forces to high alert. Missile systems have reportedly been positioned near Iraq and along the Persian Gulf, and large-scale military drills have been conducted in preparation for potential conflict.

Publicly, Khamenei has maintained a defiant tone, warning that any attack on Iran would be met with a powerful response. Privately, however, the reported preparations suggest deep concern within the regime about its own vulnerability.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)