Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly moved to an underground bunker in Tehran following warnings from senior military officials of a heightened risk of U.S. airstrikes, according to regional media reports. The move comes as U.S. naval forces, including the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, head toward the Persian Gulf amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Iran International reported that the 86-year-old leader relocated to a fortified shelter connected to an extensive network of underground tunnels after being advised that the likelihood of an imminent American attack had increased. The report, cited by the Jerusalem Post, said the decision followed President Donald Trump’s announcement that U.S. warships were being deployed to the Middle East as a warning to Iran.
According to the report, Khamenei has delegated day-to-day administrative responsibilities to his youngest son, Masoud Khamenei, 53, who is said to be acting as the primary communication channel between the supreme leader and Iran’s executive institutions during the emergency period.
Trump said on Friday that the United States was sending a “massive armada” to the region, intensifying a public war of words between the two leaders. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, accompanied by three destroyers, is reportedly moving from the Indian Ocean toward the Persian Gulf, according to U.S. military reporting cited by Stars and Stripes.
Despite reports of Khamenei’s retreat underground, Iranian officials have adopted a defiant public posture. President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that any attack on the supreme leader by the United States or Israel would be treated as “an all-out war” against Iran. Iran’s parliamentary national security commission echoed the warning, stating that any such attack would trigger a declaration of jihad, according to Iran’s Students News Agency, as cited by the Jerusalem Post.
Khamenei, who is typically active on social media, has not posted on X since January 17. While it remains unclear when he allegedly entered hiding, observers have noted the silence as unusual. It would not be the first time the supreme leader has gone underground during a period of heightened conflict. He reportedly retreated to a bunker last June during the brief but intense 12-day conflict with Israel, during which he is said to have prepared a list of potential successors in the event of his death.
In his most recent social media post earlier this year, Khamenei threatened action against what he described as internal and external “criminals” whom he blamed for fueling nationwide protests that began on December 28. The demonstrations, driven largely by economic hardship following what officials have described as the worst drought in decades, have been met with a violent crackdown.
Human rights groups say Iranian security forces have killed at least 3,000 civilians since the protests erupted, with some estimates placing the death toll significantly higher. Tehran has not officially acknowledged those figures.
As U.S. military assets move closer to Iran and rhetoric on both sides escalates, the reported relocation of the supreme leader underscores growing fears of direct confrontation, raising concerns about the stability of an already volatile region.
