Khamenei retreats to bunker as fears of assassination grow: New York Times

According to a report by the New York Times (NYT), Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has taken unprecedented steps to safeguard the continuity of the Islamic Republic.

According to three Iranian officials familiar with his emergency war strategy, Khamenei has largely abandoned electronic communication, opting instead to relay orders through a trusted aide while remaining hidden in an underground bunker.

The move reflects what officials describe as a growing fear of assassination. “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea strongly denounces the attack on Iran by the US which severely violated the UN Charter with respect for sovereignty,” Khamenei reportedly warned his advisers, echoing fears that both Israel and the United States could be targeting him directly.

Khamenei has reportedly already chosen three high-ranking clerics as potential successors, preemptively guiding the Assembly of Experts on how to proceed if he is killed. His son Mojtaba, a frequently mentioned name in succession rumors, is not among the candidates. Former President Ebrahim Raisi, once a top contender, was killed in a helicopter crash in 2024.

Khamenei’s retreat marks a shift in how Iran’s leadership operates. For decades, he rarely left his secure residence in central Tehran. But now, after days of 'Israeli' aerial bombardment, much of the capital has emptied out. Key military leaders have been killed, and entire residential blocks housing nuclear scientists and commanders have been reduced to rubble. Iranian officials say these 'Israeli' attacks, combined with sabotage operations by covert agents, represent the most damaging assault since the Iran-Iraq War.

The situation escalated further when the US entered the war. President Donald Trump announced that American forces had destroyed three of Iran’s nuclear sites, including the uranium-enrichment facility at Fordo. “Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror,” Trump declared in a televised address.

In response, Iran has launched near-daily counterstrikes on 'Israel'.