If Iranian forces did not comply with the order to suppress the protests, or even sided with the protesters, the 86-year-old Khamenei would flee the country with around 20 people from his family and closest circle of advisers, according to British newspaper.
“Plan B is for Khamenei and his very close circle of associates and family members, including his son and Mojtaba’s presumptive successor, to flee,” one of their sources said specifically.
Beni Sabti, who worked for several decades in the Israeli intelligence services, explained to the British newspaper why he would be heading to Moscow. He pointed out that Khamenei simply has nowhere else to go and at the same time “he admires Putin and Iranian culture is similar to the Russian one”.
Accumulates assets abroad
Khamenei’s plan is said to follow the example of Syria’s former ruler Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow in December 2024 before rebels took control of the country. For the purpose of possible escape, Khamenei is already collecting property and money abroad to ensure his safe passage. He can also be helped by the relatives of his close associates who already live abroad, for example in the USA, Canada or Dubai.
Khamenei is known to have amassed an enormous fortune through the Setad organization, which is part of Iran’s parastatal charitable foundation system. Already in 2013, the Reuters agency estimated the total value of the assets of the Iranian spiritual leader at 95 billion dollars (two trillion crowns).
The current wave of protests in Iran has been sparked by the rapid decline of the Iranian currency and the country’s ongoing economic difficulties. So far, at least twelve people have died during them. Demonstrators claim that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are also using live fire to quell the protests. Khamenei has total control over these units.
He became mentally and physically weak
The likelihood that the Ayatollah will have to flee is unclear. During his rule, Khamenei reshaped Iran’s forces in accordance with his own vision, promoting and protecting loyal officers. Desertion from the army is not easy.
On the other hand, however, the soldiers could take advantage of the situation that arose after last year’s twelve-day war between Iran and Israel. Khamenei has practically not been seen in public since then, and according to news sources, he has weakened mentally and physically during that time.
The Ayatollah survived the conflict with Israel in a bunker. The experience, according to intelligence reports, only reinforced his “obsession with survival” and paranoia. Even the ongoing protests did not force him to return to the public.
