As the Israel-Iran war enters its second turbulent week, a dramatic new development has emerged from Tehran. According to a New York Times report, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named three clerics as potential successors, signaling an accelerated leadership transition amid intensifying threats to his life and the ongoing regional conflict.
In a rare and highly sensitive move, Khamenei, now 86 years old, has reportedly taken refuge in a secure underground bunker, amid growing concerns of an Israeli-orchestrated assassination attempt. Iranian officials familiar with the matter told the NYT that the decision to fast-track succession planning was a precaution to maintain continuity and control in the Islamic Republic’s highest office.
Khamenei Acts Amid War and Risk of Assassination
Citing sources within the Iranian leadership, the NYT reported that Khamenei believes any attempt on his life would be an act of martyrdom. However, acknowledging the heightened risk—especially with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline stance—Khamenei has instructed the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body tasked with selecting Iran’s next supreme leader, to be ready for a swift transition.
What’s especially notable is the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader’s son, from the list of shortlisted candidates. Mojtaba has long been rumored as his father’s political heir, but the exclusion now indicates a possible internal pivot away from dynastic succession.
“The top priority is the preservation of the state,” said Vali Nasr, a respected Iran scholar at Johns Hopkins University, to NYT. “It is all calculative and pragmatic.”
Israel Signals No Immunity, War Intensifies
The urgency of succession planning coincides with escalating Israeli military operations, including fresh airstrikes near Isfahan, reportedly targeting Iran’s nuclear research infrastructure. Prime Minister Netanyahu, when asked if Iranian leadership—including the Supreme Leader himself—could be targeted, ominously responded, “No one is immune.”
Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s primary military objective: the destruction of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but added that these operations may also “create the conditions” for government change in Tehran.
Fallout from Isfahan Strikes, Diplomatic Channels Falter
As air raid sirens blare in central Iran and reports of new missile strikes dominate headlines, diplomatic efforts in Europe seem to be unraveling. Talks in Geneva between European foreign ministers and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi ended without resolution on Friday.
While European leaders urged restraint and proposed continued dialogue, Araghchi expressed conditional openness, saying Iran would not engage in negotiations while Israeli attacks persist.
“We are not opposed to diplomacy, but we cannot discuss peace while our sovereignty is under fire,” Araghchi reportedly told diplomats during the closed-door session.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, who has maintained a hard stance on Iran, is said to be deliberating over possible American involvement as military advisors warn of the broader risks associated with strikes on Iranian nuclear reactors.
Leadership Succession in Wartime: An Unprecedented Move
Traditionally, the selection of Iran’s Supreme Leader is a prolonged and highly secretive process involving months of theological vetting, political consensus-building, and power plays within the Assembly of Experts. But the ongoing war and the real threat of leadership decapitation appear to have compelled Khamenei to break with precedent.
Officials quoted in the NYT report emphasized that Khamenei wants a “controlled and rapid” succession process, to prevent any power vacuum that might weaken the Islamic Republic or embolden dissent—either domestically or from foreign adversaries.
The identities of the three clerics proposed have not been publicly disclosed, but sources suggest that none are members of Khamenei’s family, and all are senior religious figures with military or political connections.
The Road Ahead: Power, Faith, and Firepower
As tensions between Iran and Israel reach boiling point, the focus now shifts to Iran’s internal stability. While its Supreme Leader remains alive and issuing orders from a bunker, the very acknowledgment of his potential assassination speaks volumes about how deeply this conflict has escalated.
It also raises an unsettling question: What happens if Israel—or any external force—succeeds in eliminating Iran’s spiritual and political anchor?
For now, Khamenei’s decision to prepare for succession, exclude his son, and hand-pick possible replacements is being interpreted as a pragmatic move to safeguard the regime, not just a symbolic gesture. But with missiles flying and diplomacy stalling, Iran’s future—both politically and existentially—hangs in precarious balance.
