Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been in power since 1989, has named three senior clerics who will replace him if he is assassinated, the New York Times reported, citing three Iranian officials familiar with his emergency plans.
They said that fearing an assassination attempt, Iran’s supreme leader communicates with his commanders mainly through trusted aides, having suspended electronic communications to make it harder to find him.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal wrote, Trump approved the plan for a US strike on Iran, but did not give a final order. The US president told senior aides that he approves of the attack plans but is holding off for now to see if Tehran will give up its nuclear programme.
Trump later said he was giving Iran “at most” two weeks on the nuclear deal. At the same time, he did not specify what the consequences would be if Tehran did not meet that deadline.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised address on 18 June that Americans should keep in mind that “any military intervention against Iran will undoubtedly cause them irreparable harm.”
Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian territory on 13 June, attacking nuclear, military, and energy facilities. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes against Israel. The shelling of the parties continues.