A report by The New York Times, citing senior officials and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claims that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has issued confidential directives to safeguard regime continuity in the event of a major military strike or assassination attempt.

At the core of the contingency framework is the reported designation of Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), as the central figure responsible for stabilizing governance alongside a close advisory circle should Khamenei become incapacitated or unreachable.

According to the report, the plan outlines a four-tier succession structure across both political and military leadership to ensure uninterrupted command and control even in the event of a sudden, large-scale attack.

Diplomatic and military sources further indicate that senior officials have been instructed to nominate up to four alternates each, reinforcing a layered chain of command designed to prevent institutional paralysis during a crisis.

The reported measures underscore Tehran’s heightened state of alert as regional tensions continue to intensify.