POWERLINE 1/4/2026
The London Times reports that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is making plans to flee to Russia if protests against his misrule continue:
Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has a back-up plan to flee the country should his security forces fail to suppress protests or desert, according to an intelligence report shared with The Times.
Khamenei, 86, plans to escape Tehran with a close circle of up to 20 aides and family, should he see that the army and security called on to quell the unrest are deserting, defecting or failing to follow orders.
Which is how unpopular dictatorships collapse. Fleeing to Russia, of course, is what Bashar al-Assad did. And Khamenei is a fan of Vladimir Putin:
Khamenei also “admires Putin, while the Iranian culture is more similar to the Russian culture”.
More:
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/01/khamenei-preparing-to-flee.php