Iran’s Khamenei allegedly plans to flee to Moscow if Iran unrest intensifies: Report

• Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly has a contingency plan to flee Tehran with up to 20 close aides and family members if security forces defect.
• The plan envisions escaping to Moscow and securing overseas assets, modeled on Bashar al-Assad’s 2024 flight from Damascus.

According to an intelligence report reviewed by The Times, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has reportedly prepared a contingency plan to flee Tehran with a small circle of up to 20 aides and family members if security forces tasked with suppressing protests defect or refuse orders.

Close circle included

An intelligence source told the newspaper that the escape plan specifically involves Khamenei and his closest circle, including his son and designated heir, Mostafa.

The plan reportedly envisions fleeing to Moscow, as Khamenei “has nowhere else to go” and is “admiring of Putin,” with Iranian culture considered closer to Russian culture, according to Bani Sebti, a former Israeli intelligence officer who fled Iran after eight years under the Islamic Revolution.

Modeled on Assad’s escape

The escape strategy is said to be modeled on the flight of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who reportedly left Damascus for Moscow with his family in December 2024 before opposition forces entered the capital. The plan includes securing assets and liquid funds abroad to ensure safe passage.

Vast network of assets

Khamenei is known to control a vast network of assets, including through powerful institutions such as the Execution of Imam’s Order, part of a complex web of quasi-governmental charities. The report stated that estimates put the total value of his holdings at around $95 billion, including real estate and companies, all under his control.

Family and aides abroad

Many of his closest aides, including the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, have family members already living abroad in countries such as the US, Canada, and Dubai.

Control through the Revolutionary Guard

Khamenei maintains full authority over Iran’s military, judiciary, and media, relying on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the central instrument for enforcing his directives.