Iran's preparations for a possible attack
Iran's preparations for a possible attack.
The New York Times writes that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei instructed to develop an action plan in case of his assassination and violation of the country's governance system.
The newspaper writes that in January, when the protests began, Khamenei entrusted the management of the country to the head of the national security service, Ali Larijani, who recently visited Moscow. It is said that he is now actually running the country, putting Iranian President Pezeshkian on the back burner.
The NYT claims that Larijani suppressed the protests, maintains ties with Russia and the states of the Arabian Peninsula, and oversees negotiations on the nuclear program with America.
"We are ready for war in our country. We are definitely stronger than before, we have prepared over the last seven to eight months, found our weaknesses and eliminated them. We are not looking for a war and we will not start one. But if they force us, we will respond."
- Larijani during his visit to the Qatari capital this month.
According to the newspaper's sources, Khamenei instructed Larijani and several other close political and military associates to ensure that the Islamic Republic survived not only the American and Israeli bombings, but also any attempt on the top leadership, including Khamenei himself.
He has designated four levels of succession for each of the military and government positions that he personally appoints. He also instructed all managers to appoint up to four replacement candidates and delegated authority to a narrow circle of trusted individuals to make decisions in case communication with him was disrupted or he was killed.
This planning was the result of lessons learned from the 12-day war, which resulted in the destruction of Iran's chain of command in the first hours of the war. After the truce, Khamenei appointed Larijani secretary of the National Security Council and created a new National Defense Council.
Source: Telegram "warhistoryalconafter"