Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly taken unprecedented security measures in response to escalating threats from Israel, including targeted assassinations and direct strikes on Iranian leadership.

According to multiple reports, Khamenei, 86, is now sheltering in a heavily fortified bunker and has drastically limited his communications, relying exclusively on a trusted aide to relay messages and ordering a complete shutdown of all electronic communications around him to avoid detection or targeting by foreign intelligence agencies.

In light of the heightened risk to his life, Khamenei has secretly named three senior clerics as possible successors should he be assassinated. This move is intended to ensure a rapid and smooth transition of power, bypassing the typically lengthy deliberations of the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for selecting the next supreme leader. The urgency of this decision reflects the severity of the current security situation and the leadership’s desire to maintain regime stability.

Notably, Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, who has long been considered a potential successor due to his clerical status and close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is not among the three named candidates. Similarly, former president Ebrahim Raisi, once seen as a frontrunner, was killed in a helicopter crash in 2024 and is no longer in consideration.

Khamenei has also appointed replacements for key military positions, anticipating the possibility that more senior commanders could be killed in ongoing Israeli strikes. Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has ordered all senior government officials and military leaders to remain underground and cease all use of phones and electronic devices, reflecting deep concerns over Israeli infiltration and the risk of further targeted assassinations.

These extraordinary measures come as Israel has intensified its campaign against Iranian military and nuclear assets, with recent strikes causing more damage to Tehran in a few days than during the entire eight-year Iran-Iraq war, according to Iranian officials.

Israeli leaders have openly called for the elimination of Khamenei, with Defence Minister Israel Katz stating that the Iranian leader “cannot be allowed to exist” and vowing to hold him accountable for attacks on Israeli civilian targets.

Khamenei is reportedly living in a deep bunker, having ceased all electronic communication and relying on a single aide for contact with his commanders.

He has named three senior clerics as possible successors, excluding his son Mojtaba and the late Ebrahim Raisi.

Iran’s leadership has implemented strict security protocols, with officials ordered underground and barred from using electronic devices.

The moves come amid the most severe Israeli military pressure Iran has faced in decades, with targeted assassinations and airstrikes threatening the core of the regime’s leadership.

These developments underscore a period of extreme tension and uncertainty for Iran’s ruling elite, as the risk of leadership decapitation by foreign adversaries looms larger than ever.

Based On AFP News Report