Tehran, Iran: Amid mounting geopolitical tensions and widespread speculation about Iran’s leadership, Tehran’s Consul General to India reportedly dismissed reports claiming Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei has gone into hiding in a bunker.
Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh, Iran’s top diplomat in India, said the Supreme Leader is under security protection, in an interview to NDTV. He, however, rejected suggestions that he has retreated to an underground shelter. Motlagh told NDTV that rumours about Khamenei’s whereabouts were exaggerated and politically motivated.
“It is natural that His Eminence must have security personnel protecting him… However, one should not think that he is hidden in a bunker or a shelter,” he said, as quoted by NDTV.
President Donald Trump has ordered US naval forces — including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln — closer to the Middle East, saying the deployment is “just in case” military action becomes necessary. Trump has again set clear red lines, warning of strong consequences if Iranian authorities execute detained protesters or kill peaceful demonstrators.
A US Navy official confirmed the carrier strike group and accompanying warships are currently in the Indian Ocean, although their ultimate destination has not been publicly detailed.
Iran’s Response and Military Rhetoric
Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, issued a stark warning that Iranian forces have their “finger on the trigger,” ready to respond to any perceived aggression by the US or Israel.
The IRGC has been heavily involved in suppressing nationwide protests, and Iranian leadership has warned that any attack would be treated as an act of war.
Supreme Leader’s Precautionary Measures
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly relocated to a fortified underground bunker in Tehran as tensions rise, delegating day-to-day authority to his son amid fears of potential strikes.
The mass demonstrations that erupted in late December over economic hardship and other grievances have been met with a violent crackdown by Iranian security forces. Rights groups and activists estimate that thousands of protestors have been killed, with some external estimates suggesting the toll could be far higher than official Iranian figures.
Iranian authorities imposed near-total internet shutdowns during the unrest, but officials now indicate that connectivity could be restored within days.
Iran’s ambassador to India issued an unusually public note of gratitude to New Delhi for its vote at the United Nations Human Rights Council opposing heightened scrutiny of Iran’s human rights record.
Other countries, including China, have called for restraint and oppose the use of force in the crisis. The dispute has drawn global attention not just to the Iran-US standoff but also to the human rights situation within Iran, as well as regional security concerns.
