Ali Khamenei Prepares for His Own Assassination

In a major New York Times report, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has effectively handed operational control of the country to Ali Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, since early January 2026, following deadly anti-regime protests.

Larijani, a 67-year-old former IRGC commander and parliament speaker, is also a scion of a powerful clerical family. He is described as a pragmatic conservative with deep ties to the regime's security apparatus, though not a cleric himself.

He is overseeing the brutal crackdown on unrest, managing backchannel diplomacy with Russia, Qatar, Oman, and indirect U.S. nuclear talks, and preparing military defenses for potential war.

Citing six senior officials and IRGC members, the report details Khamenei's directives for regime survival: multi-layered succession with up to four replacements for key roles, and a tight circle of confidants (including Larijani) empowered for decisions if communications fail or he is killed.

For his own position, Khamenei named three unnamed senior Shiite clerics as successors, excluding Larijani due to his non-clerical status, though some sources suggest Larijani leads an emergency list, followed by figures like Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and ex-President Hassan Rouhani.

War preparations include dispersing nuclear assets, bolstering air defenses, and readying proxies (e.g., Hezbollah, Houthis) for asymmetric retaliation, addressing vulnerabilities from 2025 strikes.

Khamenei, sheltering in bunkers amid assassination fears, prioritizes continuity over reform, sidelining President Masoud Pezeshkian. Internal dissent is growing, with some IRGC members weary of repression.

This unfolds against U.S.-Iran escalation and domestic economic woes.