Fear of Assassination: Iran’s leader Khamenei chooses three successors, skips son

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly handpicked three potential successors in case he is killed during Israel’s ongoing military campaign — a revelation that signals unprecedented urgency inside Tehran’s highest ranks.

According to an investigative report by The New York Times on Saturday, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader, now operating from a fortified bunker, privately named three senior clerics to assume power should he die during the conflict.

The Times cites “senior Iranian officials” who say Khamenei made the selections after a string of high-level assassinations by Israeli forces.

Significantly, Khamenei’s influential son, Mojtaba, long rumoured to be groomed for succession, was not included in the list.

This marks a dramatic shift from years of speculation that a dynastic handover was being engineered behind the scenes, Jerusalem Post also reports on Saturday.

“Khamenei has nominated three clerics as potential successors while hiding in a bunker… Mojtaba is not among them,” reported The New York Times, citing confidential Iranian sources close to the leadership.

Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post corroborated the report, noting that the Supreme Leader has also “selected replacements down his military chain of command” in anticipation of further Israeli strikes that could decimate his inner circle.

Under normal conditions, Iran’s Supreme Leader is chosen by the Assembly of Experts — an 88-member clerical body.

But Khamenei’s reported actions suggest he is attempting to shape that outcome in advance, potentially bypassing traditional structures to preserve his ideological legacy and prevent internal fractures.

Analysts say the selection of three clerics, rather than one, reflects both a lack of consensus within Iran’s ruling elite and the urgency of contingency planning as the threat level escalates.

While names have not been officially released, the report indicates the candidates are figures trusted by Khamenei and aligned with the regime’s hardline core.

Implications Beyond Iran
The move has immediate geopolitical consequences. With the region on edge following Israeli strikes on senior Iranian and Hezbollah commanders, the specter of regime instability could further inflame the Middle East.

It also raises questions about the viability of Iran’s leadership structure should Khamenei be incapacitated.

“Khamenei’s action signals a regime that sees the risk of decapitation as real,” said a senior regional intelligence official quoted in The New York Times. “It is succession planning not in theory — but under fire.”
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According to a recent disclosure on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Adaora Umeoji, CEO of Zenith Bank, has invested approximately N3.3 billion in the acquisition of 68.8 million units of the bank's shares. Prior to this investment, Umeoji held approximately 90.2 million shares of Zenith Bank, in addition to 1.7 million indirect units, with a combined value of N4.32 billion. For Umeoji, this investment represents more than just a financial transaction; it serves as a testament to her confidence in the bank's future prospects. Having joined Zenith Bank as a youth corps member in 1998, Umeoji has risen through the ranks to become one of the bank's most prominent figures. In 2024, she was the highest-paid employee in Nigeria's banking industry, earning N874 million. Consequently, Umeoji benefits financially from the bank in two ways: through her salary and dividend earnings from her shares.

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According to a recent disclosure on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Adaora Umeoji, CEO of Zenith Bank, has invested approximately N3.3 billion in the acquisition of 68.8 million units of the bank's shares. Prior to this investment, Umeoji held approximately 90.2 million shares of Zenith Bank, in addition to 1.7 million indirect units, with a combined value of N4.32 billion. For Umeoji, this investment represents more than just a financial transaction; it serves as a testament to her confidence in the bank's future prospects. Having joined Zenith Bank as a youth corps member in 1998, Umeoji has risen through the ranks to become one of the bank's most prominent figures. In 2024, she was the highest-paid employee in Nigeria's banking industry, earning N874 million. Consequently, Umeoji benefits financially from the bank in two ways: through her salary and dividend earnings from her shares.

BREAKING!!! EFCC Arrests Benue State Governor’s Aide For Having Hot S*x With Young Girls

Operatives of the Makurdi Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested the Special Adviser to the Executive Governor of Benue State on Documentation, Research, and Planning, Dr. Mkor Aondona for alleged sextortion and cyber bullying.

He was arrested on Friday June 20, 2025 in Makurdi following claims of some female students accusing the governor’s aide of unethical and criminal behavior involving sexual exploitation, cyber bullying and blackmail.

The petitioners alleged that Aondona was routinely recruiting slim and attractive girls for ushering jobs and insisted on sexual favours as a condition for selection. Based on this, they became vulnerable to having sexual affairs with him but unknown to them, he had videos of every sexual act without their consent and was always threatening to leak the videos if they refused to continue having sex with him.

Aondona was also alleged to be involved in blackmail—sending explicit videos of the girls allegedly recorded without their knowledge or consent through several messaging platforms. Some of the videos are said to be in circulation.

The suspect will soon be charged to court.

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BREAKING: Benue Attackers Are Not Nigerians And We Will Go After Them – Chief Of Army Staff

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has linked the recent wave of violent killings in Benue State to suspected foreign mercenaries, suggesting that the perpetrators are not Nigerians. He made the assertion on Saturday, June 21, at the opening of the Nigerian Army Civil-Military Cooperation quarterly media chat held in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

“We are mindful that some of these people may be foreign elements,” he stated. “The behaviour we are seeing is utterly despicable, the way they go about their work. It does not reflect any kind of national identity or value system.”

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🎙 Russia's President Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the 28th St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, National Security Advisor, Commander of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Bahrain Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Ding Xuexiang, and Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa Paul Mashatile also attended the session.

Key statements:

Despite a challenging international landscape, Russia’s GDP has been demonstrating an annual growth rate of over four percent over the past two years, which is above the global average.

• Commodities no longer play a defining role in Russia’s economic growth patterns. In 2023, Russia’s non-oil-and-gas GDP increased by 7.2 percent, followed by an additional 4.9 percent in 2024. These are solid figures exceeding the overall GDP growth rates.

• Our strategic vector is precisely to actively and consistently transform the structure of the national economy, step by step. We have achieved a great deal in this area, but it is clear that moving forward is critically important, especially in light of the dramatic changes taking place in the world.

• Annual inflation has already dropped to single-digit levels below ten percent. As of June 16, it stood at 9.6 percent. Of course, that is still high, but inflation targeting continues.

• Over the past four years, employment in Russia has grown by 2.4 million people. Since October last year, the national unemployment rate has stabilised at around 2.3 percent, reaching a historic low.

• In terms of youth unemployment, Russia ranks among the best globally, with a rate of approximately seven and a half percent.
For comparison, youth unemployment stands at around 16 percent in France and 11 percent in the United Kingdom.

• Russia’s economy must become more technologically advanced. We must fully unleash a new phase of the country’s technological development. The key instrument in this regard should be the national projects aimed at securing technological leadership.