Posted on 01/05/26
| News Source: Arutz-7
A Western intelligence assessment shared with The Sunday Times says that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has prepared a secret escape plan should his security forces fail to contain the nationwide protests sweeping the country.
According to the report, Khamenei, 86, intends to flee Tehran with a small circle of aides and family members if he detects desertions or refusal to follow orders.
“The ‘plan B’ is for Khamenei and his very close circle of associates and family, including his son and nominated heir apparent, Mojtaba," an intelligence source told The Times.
Former Israeli intelligence officer Beni Sabti predicted Khamenei would head to Moscow, as “there is no other place for him," noting that the Iranian leader “admires Putin, while the Iranian culture is more similar to the Russian culture".
The plan reportedly mirrors the 2024 escape of former Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad, who fled to Moscow before opposition forces entered Damascus. The source said Khamenei’s circle has “plotted an exit route out of Tehran" and has been “gathering assets, properties abroad and cash to facilitate their safe passage".
Khamenei controls vast holdings through Setad, a powerful network of foundations, with a 2013 Reuters investigation estimating assets at $95 billion. Many senior regime figures have relatives already living abroad, including in the US, Canada and Dubai.
The assessment comes as protests driven by economic hardship continue across Iran. Demonstrators accuse the IRGC, Basij, police and army of using live fire, tear gas and water cannons. All forces operate under Khamenei’s direct authority.
The intelligence profile describes Khamenei as increasingly fragile since last year’s 12‑day war with Israel, saying he has become “weaker, both mentally and physically".
During the war, he reportedly remained in a bunker, reinforcing what the assessment calls his “obsession with survival". It labels him a “paranoid" leader who balances ideology with tactical pragmatism.
On Saturday, Khamenei commented on the protests, acknowledging the economic grievances of the demonstrators but warning there would be no leniency for what he called “rioters".