Iran's Khamenei makes preparations for a successor, NY Times reports
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has apparently taken precautions in case of an assassination attempt against him, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
Citing unnamed Iranian officials, the New York Times reported that Iran's top religious and secular leader has named three possible successors should he be killed by Israel.
Even before the current armed hostilities between Iran and Israel, there was speculation about who might one day replace the 86-year-old head of state.
In Iran, the succession process is actually clearly regulated: the so-called Council of Experts, comprising 88 Islamic jurists and clerics, meets in the event of the death of the leader to determine the successor.
According to the constitution, Khamenei is the spiritual and secular head of state. The cleric is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces and has the final say in all matters.
"Like other components of the Iranian state, the council is highly institutionalised and designed to achieve consensus, partly in order to cushion the Islamic Republic from shocks," according to an article on the online portal Amwaj.
After the start of the current armed conflict, Khamenei instructed the Council of Experts to convene immediately upon his death or if he is incapacitated to elect his successor, the portal reported, citing a well-informed political source.
The New York Times reports that Khamenei is staying in a bunker, avoiding electronic means of communication and communicating with his commanders through a trusted assistant.
His exact whereabouts are unclear. In recent days, he has sent messages to the population at irregular intervals and renewed his threats against Israel.
According to the Amwaj portal, in addition to the regular succession plan, alternative scenarios are conceivable that were already discussed when revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died.
These include, for example, a leadership council made up of several clerics.
"If efficiency and determination are decisive factors, a single individual will probably be the outcome again," the author wrote.
"If, on the other hand, Khamenei is killed and the conflict with Israel drags on, a council model could reduce risks."
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