As Israeli strikes continue under Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iran’s nuclear capabilities and command structure, the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has taken an unusual step — identifying three senior clerics as his possible successors in case he is assassinated.

According to a New York Times report citing unnamed Iranian officials, Khamenei, 86, has communicated his instructions to the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for appointing a new Supreme Leader. This move appears to be part of an expedited transition process, designed to avoid delays if the country’s top leadership is abruptly shaken.

The NYT report says that since the strikes began on June 13, Khamenei has been operating from a secure underground bunker. He now communicates with his military commanders only through a trusted aide and has suspended electronic communication. Iranian officials told the paper that the Supreme Leader fears an Israeli or American assassination attempt, which he would consider martyrdom.

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last monarch, commented on Khamenei's disappearance from public life, saying he had gone into hiding "like a frightened rat," reported

The Israeli attacks, described by Iranian officials as the most intense assault on Tehran since the Iran-Iraq war, have killed hundreds and injured thousands. Khamenei has responded with a message to the public: “The people of Iran will stand against a forced war,” he said in a recorded video beside the national flag.

Iran’s former president Ebrahim Raisi, who had been considered a possible successor to Khamenei, died in a helicopter crash in 2024. Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, often rumoured to be a likely choice due to his ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), is reportedly not among the three candidates Khamenei named.

Despite the leadership's shock at the scale of the Israeli offensive, Iran has mounted daily counterstrikes, targeting civilian and industrial sites in Israel, including a hospital and the Haifa oil refinery.

President Donald Trump, in a national address, confirmed the US has joined the conflict, saying: “Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terror.” He added he would decide within two weeks whether to deepen US involvement.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi responded by calling any further US engagement “very dangerous.”

The NYT reports that the Iranian leadership is also concerned about a deeper problem — internal security breaches. According to Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran’s parliamentary speaker, “Our senior commanders were all assassinated within one hour.” He added, “It is clear that we had a massive security and intelligence breach; there is no denying this.”

Though battered, Iran’s chain of command appears to remain intact, with no reports of political dissent or revolt. The appointment of interim military leaders, along with the naming of successors to the Supreme Leader, reflects the leadership’s preoccupation with continuity — not just in war, but in ideology.

The succession process, normally a months-long deliberation among clerics, has now been reduced to a rapid selection from three pre-approved names. The goal, according to officials quoted in the NYT, is to ensure a swift and stable transition if the unthinkable happens.