Who will succeed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei after his death? The Iranian Supreme Leader has suggested three names.

According to a US newspaper, in the event of Ayatollah Khamenei’s death, the Ulema Council will choose one of the three names.

The New York Times has reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has discreetly designated three potential successors in case of his death — particularly in the event of assassination during escalating hostilities.

According to the report, Ayatollah Khamenei has instructed Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts, the religious body constitutionally mandated to appoint the Supreme Leader, to select a new leader from among three pre-approved candidates.

The list is said to have been prepared in secret and kept confidential, with the aim of ensuring a smooth and stable succession process.

Significantly, the report claims that Khamenei’s 55-year-old son, Mojtaba Khamenei — a cleric widely seen as close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and once thought to be a likely heir — has been deliberately excluded from the list.

Instead, three other unnamed religious figures have reportedly been chosen.

While their identities remain undisclosed, the decision appears to reflect Khamenei’s intent to preserve the credibility and legitimacy of the succession process, especially in a time of mounting regional tension and potential wartime uncertainty.

Typically, the selection of a new Supreme Leader is a prolonged process, involving months of deliberation among Iran’s senior clerics.

However, The New York Times reports that Ayatollah Khamenei wants an expedited, organized, and peaceful transfer of power under wartime conditions to prevent instability and to safeguard the ideological continuity of the Islamic Republic.

The move comes as Israel intensifies its regional military posture and amid growing fears of war following recent US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The report also mentions that Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has instructed senior government officials to move to underground locations — a precautionary measure underscoring the gravity of the situation.

If confirmed, this would be one of the most significant preemptive actions taken by Ayatollah Khamenei in his leadership, signaling not only concern for national stability but also an acknowledgment of the heightened risks surrounding Iran’s top leadership.