Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has moved to a fortified underground shelter in Tehran following warnings from senior security and military officials of an increased likelihood of a U.S. strike, the opposition-linked outlet Iran International reported on Saturday.
According to Iran International, Khamenei relocated to a bunker complex containing a network of tunnels after advisers assessed that the risk of an American attack had risen.
The outlet also reported that Masoud Khamenei, the supreme leader’s third son, has assumed responsibility for managing his father’s day-to-day affairs and is serving as the main channel of communication with Iran’s executive branches.
The report followed comments on Friday by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said American naval forces were moving closer to Iran.
“The U.S. has a lot of ships heading towards Iran,” Trump said, adding that he “hopes we don’t have to use them.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP says the US is watching Iran closely:
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 23, 2026
"I said, if you hang those people, you're going to be hit harder than you've ever been hit. It will make what we did to your Iran nuclear look like peanuts."
"And they actually said they canceled it, they didn't postpone it,… pic.twitter.com/Lin6FQxoxh
Also on Friday, a senior Iranian official warned that any attack would be treated “as an all-out war against us,” repeating statements made by other Iranian officials in recent days.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Students News Agency, citing the country’s parliamentary national security commission, reported that any attack on Khamenei would trigger a declaration of jihad.
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said a U.S. strike on the supreme leader would be “tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation.”
Iranian officials have denied that Khamenei is hiding in an underground bunker. Iran’s consul general to India told Indian media that the supreme leader is not concealed and is under normal security arrangements.
Tensions have risen amid continued reports of Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests. On Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions against Iran in response to the crackdown.
A U.S.-based Iranian rights group said more than 5,000 people have been killed since unrest began, though the full toll remains unclear.
