A committee of three senior clerics who are supposed to announce Khamenei’s successor “has accelerated its work in recent days, fearing an imminent assassination attempt on his life,” Reuters reports.
The Reuters News Agency quoted five Iranian sources claiming that a three-member clerical committee tasked with choosing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s successor has accelerated its efforts in recent days out of fear that Israel or the U.S. might assassinate him.
The committee was appointed by Khamenei himself about two years ago, but in recent days, the three members of the committee have been working at an accelerated pace to find a replacement before his life is ended by an assassination. A senior security official in Iran told Reuters that Khamenei and his family are currently residing in a bunker, protected by special Revolutionary Guard forces.
One of the sources said, “The ruling establishment will immediately attempt to appoint a successor to Khamenei if he is killed, in order to signal stability and continuity.” A source close to Khamenei added, “A new leader will still be chosen based on his dedication to the revolutionary ideals of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini.”
The five sources quoted by Reuters mentioned two names that are considered leading candidates in the race to replace Khamenei if he is assassinated. The first is Khamenei’s 56-year-old son, Mojtaba, and the second is Hassan Khomeini, the 53-year-old grandson of the former Ayatollah Khomeini. Last Saturday, Khomeini publicly expressed support for Khamenei, stating, “I humbly reaffirm that as a small and insignificant servant of the Iranian people, I am willing to proudly be present on any front or arena that you deem appropriate.”
The Iranian sources told Reuters that Hassan Khomeini is considered to hold slightly more progressive views and supports easing the restrictions placed on the Iranian people, particularly women. Therefore, his selection might form a consensus both within Iranian society and internationally.
