Iranian supreme leader picks potential successors in case he is killed

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has picked three senior clerics as potential successors in case he is killed, The New York Times reported.

The move, intended to ensure a quick and orderly transition, comes amid escalating regional tensions and repeated Israeli strikes on Iranian territory.

Under Iran’s constitution, the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body of 88 members, is responsible for selecting the next supreme leader. The process has only been used once since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Khamenei was chosen in 1989.

Khamenei wants to ensure a swift, orderly transition in the event of his death, the report said, citing three Iranian officials familiar with the matter. 

The report comes days after former US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Khamenei is an “easy target,” but added, “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”

Israeli leaders have taken a more direct stance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said killing Khamenei would not escalate the conflict, but “end it.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz stated more bluntly that Khamenei cannot be allowed to “continue to exist” after a recent Iranian missile strike on an Israeli hospital.

The report said Iranian officials are preparing for multiple scenarios if the war escalates and Trump decides to intervene. While several Iranian military leaders have been killed in Israeli strikes, the regime’s command structure reportedly remains intact.