THE WAR OF VLORA / Who is the woman who pushed Te Gjati to dissolve the Municipality of Dredhanik?

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Here's where Iran's supreme leader is hiding! NYT: Khamenei, in fear for his life, has chosen his three successors

2025-06-21 15:52:41Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Ali Khamenei

Fearing an assassination attempt on him, Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, communicates primarily with his commanders through a trusted aide, suspending electronic communications to make it harder to track him, according to three Iranian officials familiar with war contingency plans cited by the New York Times.

Hiding in a bunker northeast of Tehran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has chosen a series of successors from within his military hierarchy, should more of his valuable lieutenants be killed.

In an extraordinary move, Khamenei has even named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him in the event he is assassinated, according to officials, in perhaps the most significant illustration of the precarious moment facing him and his thirty-year rule.

Ali Khamenei has taken a series of extraordinary measures to maintain the security and defense of the Islamic Republic since June 13, when Israel "launched" the first "wave" of airstrikes.

Just over a week into the conflict, the IDF attacks constitute the largest military blow to Iran since the Iraq War in the 1980s, and the impact on Tehran has been particularly severe. Within twenty-four hours, the Israeli attacks were more intense and inflicted more damage on Tehran than Saddam Hussein did in his entire eight-year war against Iran.

Iran appears to have overcome the initial shock and reorganized enough to carry out daily counterattacks against Israel, "hitting" a hospital, the Haifa oil refinery, religious sites, and homes.

Iran's top officials are also discreetly preparing for all eventualities as the war intensifies and Donald Trump is considering the scenario of involvement in the conflict, according to Iranian officials, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about Khamenei's plans.

Of course, as the analysis notes, it is difficult to discern what is happening within Iran's tightly guarded leadership, but the hierarchy appears to be functioning normally, despite the blows it has taken. So far, there are no visible signs of dissent within the political ranks, according to officials and diplomats in Iran.

Ayatollah Khamenei, 86, knows that Israel or the United States could order an assassination attempt against him, which would be considered a "martyrdom," according to officials.

Given this possibility, he made the unusual decision to instruct the country's Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader, to quickly select a successor from the three names he has presented.

Normally, the process of appointing a new supreme leader can take months, with clerics choosing from their own lists of names. But in the midst of the war, the Ayatollah wants to ensure a swift and smooth transition of power and preserve his legacy, officials said.

"The highest priority is the preservation of the state. Everything is calculated and realistic," noted Vali Nasr, an Iran expert and professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins University.

Succession has long been an extremely sensitive and difficult issue, rarely discussed publicly beyond speculation in political and religious circles. The Supreme Leader wields enormous power: He is the commander-in-chief of Iran's armed forces, as well as the head of the judiciary, legislature, and executive branches. He is also the Wali Faqih, or supreme guardian of the Shiite faith.

Ayatollah Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, also a cleric and close aide to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was considered the frontrunner, is not among the candidates, according to officials. Iran's former conservative president, Ebrahim Raisi, was widely expected to win before he was killed in a helicopter crash in 2024.

Since the start of the war, Ayatollah Khamenei has given two video messages to the public, holding the Iranian flag in his hand. “The people of Iran will resist an imposed war,” he said, vowing not to surrender. Under normal circumstances, Ayatollah Khamenei lives and works in a highly secure compound in central Tehran, called the beit rahi , or house of the leader, and is rarely seen outside these premises except on special occasions, such as delivering a sermon. Senior officials and military commanders visit him for weekly meetings, and public speeches are delivered from there.

The country's leadership is preoccupied with three central issues, according to officials: the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei, the United States' entry into the war, and devastating attacks on Iran's critical infrastructure, such as power plants, oil and gas refineries, and dams.

If the United States becomes actively involved in the conflict, things change dramatically. Israel has repeatedly said it wants to destroy Iran's nuclear program, but experts estimate that only the United States has the bombers - and the massive bomb - that can penetrate the mountain where Iran has built its main uranium enrichment facility, at Fordow.

Iran has threatened to retaliate with attacks on US targets in the region, however, this would risk a wider and potentially worse conflict for Iran and its adversaries.

Fears of attacks on key leadership figures and infiltration into Iran's ranks are so widespread that the Ministry of Intelligence announced a series of security protocols, asking officials to ban the use of cell phones or any electronic communication devices.

He also ordered all senior government officials and military commanders to stay underground, according to two Iranian officials.

Almost every day, the Ministry of Intelligence or the armed forces issue instructions to the public to report suspicious movements of people and vehicles and to refrain from taking photos and videos of attacks in sensitive areas.

The country is also in a communications blackout with the outside world. The internet is practically shut down and incoming international calls are blocked. The Telecommunications Ministry stressed that the measures are aimed at identifying enemy agents on the ground and neutralizing their ability to launch attacks.

"The security services have concluded that, at this critical moment, the internet is being misused to harm the lives and livelihoods of citizens," said Ali Ahmadinejad, communications director for Masoud Pesheskian.

On Friday (20/06), the Supreme National Security Council went a step further, announcing that anyone collaborating with the enemy must surrender to authorities by Sunday evening, hand over their military equipment, and "return to the arms of the people." It also warned that anyone found collaborating with the enemy after June 22 will be executed.

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×