Iran's Khamenei 'prepared to escape to Moscow' if unrest escalates
What's the story
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly made plans to flee to Moscow if the ongoing protests in his country intensify and his security forces fail to control them. The 86-year-old leader is said to be preparing an escape route from Tehran with around 20 close aides and family members, The Times reported. This plan mirrors that of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who fled Damascus for Moscow last year.
Escape strategy
Khamenei's escape plan includes gathering assets abroad
"The 'plan B' is for Khamenei and his very close circle of associates and family, including his son and nominated heir apparent, Mojtaba," a source told the newspaper. They said that Khamenei's escape plan includes "gathering assets, properties abroad and cash to facilitate their safe passage." Khamenei reportedly controls a vast financial empire through Setad, a semi-state charitable foundation. A 2013 Reuters investigation estimated these assets at around $95 billion.
Unrest intensifies
Protests erupt across Iran amid economic hardship
The planned escape comes as economic hardship sparked widespread demonstrations across cities over the past week, including in the sacred city of Qom. Protesters have accused anti-riot units of using brutal tactics against them. These forces report directly to Khamenei, who has supreme authority over Iran's military and judiciary. A Western intelligence agency's psychological assessment described Khamenei as "paranoid" and noted he has grown "weaker, both mentally and physically" after last year's conflict with Israel.
Leadership impact
Khamenei's leadership and Iran's foreign policy
Khamenei has been largely absent from public view. He previously sheltered in a bunker during an Israeli conflict, fueling what the assessment described as his "obsession with survival." Born to religious scholars in Mashhad in 1939, Khamenei was involved in opposition movements against Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and survived a 1981 assassination attempt. This attack, the intelligence assessment concluded, solidified his belief in "divine mission" to lead Iran against Israel and the West while preserving the regime at all costs.