Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed during the ongoing conflict with Israel, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
The New York Times also wrote that he has made the “unusual decision” to instruct Iran’s Assembly of Experts, which is tasked with appointing a supreme leader, to choose his successor from the three names he provided.
Khamenei has made a selection of replacements down his chain of military command in case more of his lieutenants are killed, according to the report.
Top Iranian officials are also reportedly quietly making preparations for a wide range of outcomes as the war continues, including the possible entry of the US into the fray.
Talks about who would succeed Khamenei as Iran’s leader were held confidentially by diplomats from Europe and the United States, speaking theoretically about a scenario where the Islamic Republic would collapse, CBS News learned on Friday.
The diplomats had also discussed whether Iranian nuclear sites could be secured, and the environmental consequences for their allies in the region as a result of attacking nuclear facilities like Fordow.
Khamenei has been hiding since Israel’s exchange of missiles with Iran broke out one week ago, with US President Donald Trump saying on Tuesday that the US knows exactly where he is.
The Iranian leader is also believed to be battling cancer, the report noted, and cited an assessment by US intelligence that concluded Khamenei hasn’t resumed his country’s nuclear weapons program, which halted operations in 2003.
International calls and internet connection in Iran have notably weakened due to the current conflict, CBS cited regional sources as saying, adding that diplomats have raised complaints that arranging meetings with Abbas Araghchi, the country’s foreign affairs minister, has become more difficult.
Khamenei is also reportedly concerned about communicating with other officials due to concerns of signal interception to reveal his location, the report added.
These reports come shortly after Araghchi met with European counterparts in Geneva the same day, in a meeting that lasted twice as long as expected, CBS reported.
A nuclear program for civilian purposes?
The US proposal on the table includes a framework where Iran would be able to operate a civilian nuclear program only, without enrichment of uranium, while purchasing nuclear fuel from other countries.
One of the options being considered includes an Omani initiative to establish a regional consortium under IAEA and US supervision "that would allow enrichment for civilian purposes," the report noted.