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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has instructed Ali Larijani, the country’s top national security official, and a small circle of senior political and military figures to ensure the survival of the Islamic Republic in the face of potential assassination attempts targeting its leadership, including Khamenei himself, The New York Times reported Sunday.
The report, citing six senior Iranian officials and members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Khamenei directed Larijani and other close associates to prepare for scenarios involving not only U.S. and Israeli military strikes but also targeted killings of senior officials.
The reported instructions come as U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that military action against Iran could be imminent, amid a significant buildup of U.S. forces in the region.
According to Axios, Trump has been presented with military options that include scenarios targeting Khamenei, his son Mojtaba, viewed as a potential successor, and other senior clerics. A second source told Axios that a plan involving the killing of Khamenei and his son was presented to Trump several weeks ago, though no final decision has been made.
Iran and the United States resumed indirect nuclear negotiations earlier this month in Muscat, Oman, followed by a second round of talks in Geneva on Tuesday under Omani mediation.
The renewed diplomacy has unfolded amid heightened regional tensions, driven by an expanding US military presence in the Persian Gulf and ongoing Iranian military drills.
Speaking Thursday at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, Trump warned that the United States would resort to military action against Iran “within 10 to 15 days” if negotiations fail. He said Friday that he was “considering” a limited military strike to pressure Tehran into a deal, without elaborating.
Open-source intelligence data and analyst assessments indicate that the United States has raised its military presence in the Middle East to its highest level in recent years, with accelerating airlift activity described as the most extensive reinforcement since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
According to social media accounts that track open-source intelligence, U.S. military shipments to the region are continuing.
Twelve F-22 fighter jets that departed Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia crossed the Atlantic in two groups of six and arrived at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. The aircraft experienced a brief delay due to a technical malfunction on an aerial refueling tanker and is expected to continue toward the Middle East on Monday.
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