Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has drawn up a contingency plan to flee the country if unrest intensifies and his security forces fail to contain nationwide protests, according to an intelligence report cited by the Times UK. The report says Khamenei, 86, would leave Tehran with a small inner circle of close aides and family members if he believes the army or elite security units are deserting, defecting, or refusing to follow orders.
An intelligence source told the Times UK that the so-called “plan B” involves Khamenei, his son and presumed heir Mojtaba, and up to 20 close associates escaping Iran should the regime’s grip weaken. Former Israeli intelligence officer Beni Sabti, who fled Iran years after the Islamic revolution, said Moscow would be the likely destination, describing Russia as the only viable refuge for the Iranian leader. Sabti told the Times UK that Khamenei admires Russian President Vladimir Putin and sees cultural affinity between Iran and Russia.
The alleged escape plan is said to mirror the flight of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a close Iranian ally, who fled Damascus to Moscow in December 2024 as opposition forces closed in on the capital. According to the intelligence report shared with the Times UK, preparations include securing foreign assets, overseas properties, and cash to ensure a rapid and safe departure if required.
Khamenei is believed to control a vast network of assets, much of it linked to Setad, one of Iran’s most powerful semi-state foundations. A Reuters investigation in 2013 estimated the value of these holdings at around $95 billion. The Times UK report also noted that several senior Iranian officials, including Ali Larijani, secretary of the supreme national security council, have close family members already living abroad in countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.
The revelations come as protests driven by economic hardship spread across Iranian cities, including the clerical stronghold of Qom. Demonstrators accuse security forces — including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij militia, police, and army units — of using live fire, tear gas, and water cannons to suppress dissent. These forces ultimately answer to Khamenei, who wields authority over the military, judiciary, and media, relying heavily on the IRGC to maintain control.
According to a psychological assessment by a Western intelligence agency seen by the Times UK, Khamenei has grown physically and mentally weaker since last year’s 12-day war with Israel. He has made few public appearances and has been notably absent from view during the latest wave of protests. During the conflict with Israel, he reportedly remained in a bunker, a move that reinforced what the assessment described as his “obsession with survival.”
The profile portrays Khamenei as a deeply paranoid but pragmatic leader, ideologically driven yet willing to make tactical compromises to preserve the regime. It suggests this mindset underpins his escape planning, should loyalty within the security forces erode.
Public anger has also been fuelled by Iran’s costly regional interventions. Khamenei has long cast himself as the leader of Shi’ite Muslims worldwide, justifying heavy investment in allied militant groups across Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. But the weakening of those networks following conflict with Israel, combined with soaring inflation and worsening living standards at home, has led some Iranians to openly question those priorities. One chant reported by the Times UK captures the mood on the streets: “No to Gaza, no to Lebanon, I’d give my life for Iran only.”
