Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has chosen replacements for his military command in case his officials are killed in Israeli strikes. He has also appointed three high-ranking clerics to replace him if the Ayatollah himself is eliminated, according to The New York Times, writes UNN.
Details
Fearing assassination, Khamenei now mostly communicates with his commanders through a trusted aide, suspending electronic communication to make him harder to locate, say three Iranian officials familiar with his contingency plans.
While in a bunker, Iran's supreme leader made a series of replacements for his military commands in case other important associates were to die, the publication writes.
Officials also report that Ayatollah Khamenei made an important move by naming three high-ranking clerics as candidates for the position of supreme leader in the event of his death.
According to NYT, 86-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei is aware that Israel or the United States may try to kill him. He considers such a death martyrdom, officials explained.
Given this possibility, the Ayatollah made the unusual decision to instruct his country's Assembly of Experts, the spiritual body responsible for appointing the supreme leader, to quickly choose his successor from three names he proposed.
Addition
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected Donald Trump's call for unconditional surrender and threatened the US with irreparable damage in case of military intervention.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Khamenei "about a fate similar to that of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein." In 2003, the Iraqi dictator was overthrown as a result of an invasion by United States troops, and later found and hanged by court order.