Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the late Iranian Supreme Leader who was assassinated in the US-Israel war on Iran on February 28, “refused to leave his Tehran residence and move to a bunker” amid relentless strikes from US and Iranian forces, his close aide Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi revealed. Khamenei had served as the country’s Supreme Leader for 37 years – making him Middle East’s longest-serving head of state.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave, Ilahi said Khamenei decided against the move, keeping Iranian citizens in mind.
“I asked his security team why they were not moving him to a safer place or another city, since his office and residence were well known. They said he refused and never agreed to do so. He said that if ‘you can provide safe shelters for the 19 million citizens of Tehran, then I am ready to leave my house and move to another place’,” Ilahi said, referring to Khamenei.
“I then asked the security officials, if he does not relocate to another city, at least build a bunker for him in the basement for safety. They said he does not allow them to do that. He told them, ‘If you can build 90 million bunkers for 90 million Iranians, only then will I be ready to build one for myself’,” Hakeem Ilahi said at the Conclave.
‘Khamenei wanted to be martyred’
Responding to a question about the importance of martyrdom in Islam, particularly during Ramadan, Ilahi described it as one of the highest virtues in Islamic teachings. He added that Khamenei had long wished to achieve martyrdom, viewing it as the ultimate honour.
“I remember that a few months ago [Khamenei] said several times, ‘I have become an old man now, I am 86, and I am afraid I might die in a hospital, or from an accident or illness. That would not be good for me. I would prefer to be martyred,’” the aide recalled.
Khamenei’s Russia move rumours
Earlier this year, speculations over Khamenei’s whereabouts surfaced online amid economic unrest in Iran, preceding the now ongoing war. One notable claim was that a contingency plan was in place for Khamenei to move to Russia if unrest escalated, this rumour was later refuted.
How was Khamenei killed?
Khamenei was killed in a targeted airstrike carried out jointly by the US and Israel as part of their military campaign against Iran. The missile struck Khamenei’s compound in Tehran, and Iranian state media later confirmed his death and announced 40 days of public mourning.
The strike was part of a broader operation aimed at eliminating senior Iranian leadership and military threats during the conflict.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been appointed the new Iranian Supreme Leader. The US has also issued a $10 million bounty for leads on his whereabouts.