As US carriers deploy in the Mideast region and with tense nuclear talks inching forward in Geneva, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is reportedly taking Washington threats of assassination very seriously.
According to a Sunday report by The New York Times, Khamenei has quietly established detailed succession plans and emergency chains of command in the event he - or other top regime figures - are killed in potential US or Israeli strikes.
The contingency blueprint, drafted amid escalating threats and last month's nationwide unrest, is said to ensure continuity of power under wartime conditions. Central to that plan is the elevation of longtime insider Ali Larijani.
The report says that at the height of the protests and amid mounting US military pressure, Khamenei tapped Larijani - a former Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commander and political heavyweight - to assume a dominant governing role, effectively sidelining President Masoud Pezeshkian and consolidating crisis management under a trusted loyalist.
NY Times writes, "Ayatollah Khamenei has instructed Mr. Larijani and a handful of other close political and military associates to ensure that the Islamic Republic survives not only American and Israeli bombs, but also any assassination attempts on its top leadership, including on Ayatollah Khamenei himself, according to the six senior officials and the Guards members."
Nasser Imani, a conservative analyst close to the government, told the outlet over the phone: "The supreme leader fully trusts Larijani. He believes Larijani is the man for this sensitive juncture because of his political track record, sharp mind and knowledge."
Imani added: "He relies on him for reports on the situation and pragmatic advice. Larijani’s role will be very pronounced during war."
According to more details of the emergency wartime succession planning:
According to the six senior officials and the Guards members, Ayatollah Khamenei has issued a series of directives. He has named four layers of succession for each of the military command and government roles that he personally appoints.
He has also told everyone in leadership roles to name up to four replacements and has delegated responsibilities to a tight circle of confidants to make decisions in case communications with him are disrupted or he is killed.
The Times claims Larijani had overseen the crackdown on demonstrators and coordinated closely with Moscow, and may have even had serious input in how to deal on the diplomatic front with Washington.
"Mr. Larijani comes from an elite political and religious family, and for 12 years, he was the speaker of Parliament," the publication adds. "In 2021, he was put in charge of negotiating a 25-year comprehensive strategic deal with China worth billions."
Tehran is justifiably worried given the June war saw several assassinations of top military officials amid the bombing chaos. Also, high on Iranians' minds remains the Trump-ordered assassination of IRGC Quds force chief Qasem Soleimani, killed by a targeted drone strike on January 3, 2020 outside Baghdad international airport.
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