Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has named three senior clerics as potential successors in the event of his death, according to a report by The New York Times citing three Iranian officials familiar with the matter.
Under Iran’s constitution, the 88-member Assembly of Experts — a body composed of senior Islamic scholars — is charged with selecting the next supreme leader. The process has only occurred once since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Khamenei himself succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
The Times report said Khamenei is intent on ensuring a swift and orderly transition should he be killed, amid rising regional tensions and increasing threats from both Israel and the United States.
Last week, President Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Khamenei was an “easy target,” claiming, “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding… We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.” The post came after reports that Trump had previously rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei.
Israeli officials have also issued increasingly direct threats. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that eliminating Khamenei would not escalate the conflict, but rather “end the conflict.” On Thursday, Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, went further, saying Khamenei “cannot be allowed to continue to exist” after an Iranian missile strike reportedly hit a hospital in Israel.
According to the Iranian officials cited in the Times, Tehran is preparing for a range of scenarios as the regional conflict intensifies and Trump weighs whether to return to power. While Israeli strikes have reportedly degraded parts of Iran’s command structure, the leadership remains operational, the officials said.
