Khamenei has gone into hiding ahead of possible US attack, opposition-affiliated news site reports

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has gone into hiding in a Tehran bunker, according to the opposition-affiliated Iran International news site, as the country prepares for a possible US attack amid heightened tensions over the brutal crackdown of protests earlier this month.

According to the report, which cites “information received” by the opposition news site, Khamenei went underground after senior officials assessed an “increased risk of a potential US attack,” as the US moves significant military forces into the region.

The report adds that the supreme leader’s bunker is fortified, and contains a system of “interconnected tunnels.”

While Khamenei is in hiding, his third-born son, Masoud Khamenei, has taken over day-to-day operations in his father’s office and is serving as the “main channel for communication” with government leaders, the report says.