{"id":2601642,"date":"2026-05-12T11:17:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/expert-thinks-irans-new-ayatollah-could-be-dead-says-top-regime-leaders-might-flee-to-russia\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T11:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:19:08","slug":"expert-thinks-irans-new-ayatollah-could-be-dead-says-top-regime-leaders-might-flee-to-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/expert-thinks-irans-new-ayatollah-could-be-dead-says-top-regime-leaders-might-flee-to-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert Thinks Iran&#8217;s New Ayatollah Could Be Dead, Says Top Regime Leaders Might Flee to Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fexpert-thinks-irans-new-ayatollah-could-be-dead-says-top-regime-leaders-might-flee-to-russia%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2601642&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text reports claims from a middle East expert (Saeid Golkar) that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei might potentially be dead or seriously incapacitated after an attack in which his father, ali Khamenei, was killed. It says he has kept out of public view, and that if ther is no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinas-xi-wins-third-term-packs-leadership-with-loyalists\/\" title=\"China\u2019s Xi Wins Third Term, Packs ...hip With Loyalists\">clear successor<\/a>, the regime would still be structured to continue during a crisis. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/weak-candidates-threaten-gops-hopes-to-retake-senate-expert-says\/\" title=\"\u2018Weak\u2019 Candidates Threaten GOP\u2019s Hopes To Retake Senate, Expert Says\">expert argues<\/a> that leadership continuity could prompt senior figures to look for refuge abroad-perhaps in Russia, drawing a comparison to Bashar al-Assad\u2019s flight-while noting that leaving would preserve lives but weaken thier power due to the regime\u2019s ideology.<\/p>\n<p>The article also contrasts this with comments attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who believes Khamenei is alive but \u201choled up\u201d and has reduced authority compared to his father. Netanyahu is <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >quoted emphasizing ongoing pressure<\/a> on Iran.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A Middle East expert says that Iran is teetering on the brink and believes Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei could be dead.<\/p>\n<p>Middle East expert Saeid Golkar said that the collapse could trigger a flight of senior leaders to Russia for shelter, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/iran-regime-power-players-may-eye-russia-assad-style-escape-us-talks-falter-expert\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Multiple reports have said that Mojtaba Khamenei, who became Supreme Leader after the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in the opening round of Operation Epic Fury\u2019s attacks, was severely wounded in the attack that killed his father. Mojtaba Khamenei has avoided the public eye, lending credence to rumors he was seriously wounded or disfigured in the attack, and may not be a force in the nation\u2019s government.<\/p>\n<p>Mojtaba Khamenei is \u201ceither dead or in bad condition that he cannot send any video or voice message,\u201d Golkar, a senior adviser at United Against Nuclear Iran, said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf he had died from his injuries, there was no clear natural successor. He was the continuation of the regime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStill, the system was designed for continuity during a crisis,\u201d Golkar added.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s leadership structure was designed to \u201cmake sure the regime could survive even if formal institutions were damaged, leaders were killed, or civilian government stopped functioning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would describe it as a regime designed not just to govern, but always to try and survive decapitation,\u201d Golkar said.<\/p>\n<p>Survival could mean leaving Iran, he said, much like former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the situation deteriorates further, some senior figures could potentially follow a path like Bashar al-Assad\u2019s inner circle and seek refuge in Russia,\u201d Golkar said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the most senior figures, Russia would probably be the most likely destination, again as we saw with Bashar al-Assad,\u201d Golkar said, noting that Iranian leaders have already moved their private wealth to \u201cfinancial networks outside Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Golkar said fleeing the country would preserve the lives of senior leaders, but end their power.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInside the regime\u2019s ideological culture, leaving the country during the collapse would look like desertion,\u201d Golkar said.<\/p>\n<p>In a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/read-the-full-transcript-of-major-garretts-interview-with-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-here\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">60 Minutes<\/a>\u201d interview released Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he believes the Supreme Leader is alive, but has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/candace-owens-the-democrat-party-is-a-death-cult\/\" title=\"CANDACE OWENS: The Democrat Party Is A Death Cult\">limited power<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you ask me what his condition is, first of all, if you ask me his\u2013 if he\u2019s alive, I think he is alive. What his condition is, it\u2019s hard to say, you know? He\u2019s holed up in some bunker or in some\u2013 secret place,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think he has the same authority that the\u2013 his father, the Ayatollah Khamenei, had. I don\u2019t think so. That\u2019s also creating the\u2013 the disruptions in that regime. And I\u2013 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a bad thing, but I think the real question is not \u2014 not so much what they do. It\u2019s what we do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, do we keep them in check? Do we keep up the pressure? And I think the answer is we should and we are. And President Trump has been leading this effort, I think quite\u2013 in quite unexpected ways, the blockade on them, when they were blockading the Gulf, has actually turned the tables on them. 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