Iran’s Supreme Leader is reportedly hiding in a fortified underground bunker, following an assessment by senior military officials of an increased risk of a potential attack, by the U.S. according to Iran International.
The news outlet said it was told by two sources close to the Iranian government.
“The facility was described as a fortified site with interconnected tunnels,” it reported.
The media also said the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s third son has taken over the management of the leader’s day-to-day responsibilities.
The son is now serving as the primary channel for communication with the Iranian government’s executive branches.
This came after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that American ships were en route to waters near Iran.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the U.S. has deployed its navy in the direction of Iran, following repeated warnings to the Iranian leaders not to execute protesters.
“We‘ll see what happens. We have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” Trump said.
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) changed its path from the South China Sea towards the Middle East more than a week ago.
CSG includes Arleigh Burke-class destroyers equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles capable of striking targets deep inside Iran.
The US military vessels en route to the Middle East are also equipped with the Aegis combat system, which provides air and missile defence against ballistic and cruise missiles and other aerial threats, according to some media outlets.
Death Toll in Iran Exceeds 30,000
“More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during the January 8-9 crackdown on nationwide protests, making it the deadliest two-day protest massacre in history, according to documents reviewed by Iran International’s Editorial Board.”
The news media’s announcement came yesterday after “reviewing newly obtained classified documents, field reports, and accounts from medical staff, witnesses, and victims’ families.”
It also said it has received reports and evidence indicating the extrajudicial execution of a number of detainees in Tehran and other cities from images released from morgues of some wounded citizens who were shot in the head while hospitalized and undergoing medical treatment.
“It is evident that, had these individuals [not] sustained fatal head wounds on the streets, there would have been no reason to admit them to hospital or begin treatment in the first place.”
“The images also show that in some cases, medical tubes and patient-monitoring equipment remained attached to the bodies,” it added. “In other cases, cardiac monitoring electrodes are visible on the chest, suggesting these individuals were under medical care before being shot in the head.”
It also reported that a number of doctors and nurses had described the shootings as “finishing shots” aimed at killing the wounded patients.
UN’s Condemnation
Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said that the brutality by the Iranian regime continues although the killings of protestors may have subsided, according to a statement by the UN on Friday.
“He said that violent repression did not solve any of Iran’s problems but instead created conditions for further violations, instability and bloodshed,” the statement stated.
“We have indications that the security forces made mass arrests in several cities, even pursuing injured people into hospitals, and detaining lawyers, human rights defenders, activists, and ordinary civilians.”
“The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has reportedly opened criminal cases against athletes, actors, people involved in the movie industry, and the owners of cafes, on charges of supporting the protests,” the statement added.
