TEHRAN, Iran (BN24) — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has secretly selected a trio of potential successors, according to officials briefed on the matter, as fears mount within Tehran that he could become the next high-value target in a wave of lethal Israeli strikes that have decimated the ranks of Iran’s top military commanders.
The 86-year-old cleric, who has ruled since 1989, reportedly drew up the list while sheltering in a fortified bunker, and instructed Iran’s Assembly of Experts — the powerful clerical body responsible for choosing the next Supreme Leader — to select from his handpicked candidates in the event of his death, The New York Times reported.
“The ayatollah is clearly rattled. His preemptive move to name successors signals just how fragile the regime sees itself right now,” a senior U.S. official told The Post.
While the names on the list have not been formally disclosed, Iranian political analysts say Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, 68, the current head of Iran’s judiciary, is widely viewed as the frontrunner. He is known for his hardline posture and loyalty to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), making him a likely candidate to preserve the system’s continuity under crisis.
Other prominent contenders include Mohsen Qomi, 65, a senior cleric in the Assembly of Experts and foreign affairs adviser close to Khamenei, and Mohsen Araki, another longtime Assembly member. Guardian Council member Alireza Arafi and cleric Hashem Hosseini Bushehri have also been floated by Iranian insiders.
Notably absent from the succession list is Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader’s influential 55-year-old son. Long rumored to be a possible heir due to his ties to the IRGC, his exclusion may be a strategic attempt by Khamenei to avoid the appearance of establishing a dynastic rule. However, some experts argue the Assembly could still sideline his father’s wishes and appoint Mojtaba regardless.
“This is an unprecedented deviation from Iran’s traditional succession process,” said Vali Nasr, a Middle East scholar at Johns Hopkins University. “But for Khamenei, the top priority now is regime preservation — not clerical formality.”
Khamenei’s decision comes amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign that has seen the elimination of several senior Iranian operatives. Most recently, Saeed Izadi, commander of the Quds Force’s Palestine Corps, was killed in a strike on the city of Qom. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the operation a “major intelligence and military success,” linking Izadi directly to Hamas’ preparations for its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Two other senior officers were also eliminated: Benham Shahriyari, head of the Quds Force’s weapons transfer unit responsible for arming Hezbollah and the Houthis, and Amin Pour Joudaki, commander of Iran’s UAV Brigade, who reportedly oversaw hundreds of drone attacks on Israeli territory.
The Iranian regime has responded by intensifying internal security protocols. The Ministry of Intelligence has ordered all senior government and military officials into underground bunkers and barred the use of electronic communications. Khamenei himself has remained hidden since Israel began its strikes on June 13, having vacated his compound in Tehran known as beit rahbari (leader’s house).
Despite two pre-recorded addresses to the public in which Khamenei vowed not to yield, the mounting death toll among his top commanders has exposed deep vulnerabilities in Iran’s military leadership. Human rights monitors say at least 639 people, including senior officers and nuclear scientists, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Iranian soil since the conflict erupted.
Former U.S. officials say Iran’s top leadership is being rapidly decimated. “These guys aren’t just losing commanders — they’re losing the entire command structure,” a national security source familiar with the Trump administration’s Iran policy told The Post. “If I were in their shoes, I’d be buying a one-way ticket out of Tehran.”
While Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence remains silent, internal memos seen by multiple sources confirm that government operations are now being coordinated through a single trusted aide — a measure aimed at preserving secrecy amid espionage fears.
The current crisis has added a volatile dimension to the question of Iran’s future leadership. Analysts say the preemptive succession plan suggests Khamenei sees his own survival as far from guaranteed.
“This is not just about mortality — this is about assassination,” said Gabriel Noronha, a former State Department adviser on Iran. “Khamenei has watched his inner circle get picked off one by one. Now he’s planning for the unthinkable.”
