Ayatollah Khamenei's Jet Checked, Iran Supreme Leader May Flee To Russia If Necessary (UPDATED)

Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei could flee to Russia should the situation in his country continue to spiral out of control, according to Radio Netherlands.

The media organization reports that the Supreme National Security Council ordered a check-up Sunday of the jet on standby to evacuate Khamenei and his family should the need arise.

If Khamenei does depart the country, it would be reminiscent of an historic event in Iranian history: Jan. 16, 1979, when the Iranian Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi fled Iran following an increase in violent protests. The anniversary of that event is coming up soon.

The plane check is already being viewed by some as an indication that Khamenei will in fact leave Iran, as protests continue.

UPDATE: Iranian journalist and media researcher Omid Habibinia tells HuffPost he has doubts about the authenticity of the document that this report evolves around. He says it is fast circulating Facebook but for many reasons he believes the document is forgery, including the fact there are no words below the logo of the Islamic Republic of Iran and no mail is confidential in the Persian month Mehr.

Comments

[BiBiJan]

12:21 PM on 01/01/2010

Moderator,

Please explain why the following comment was deleted.

Shomali,

I share your frustration with some segments of the media. The dissemination of unchecked, unverified, and even occasionally completely nonsensical 'reports' leaves me wondering what value do mainstream media add to a simple google search? But, It is not just the media. The fundamental prejudice against Iran/Iranians pervades foreign policy elite too.

From http://www.raceforiran.com/is-there-a-domestic-race-for-iran

Protests may flare again in Iran in coming months. But, drawing analogies between the Islamic Republic today and the Shah’s regime in 1978 or the Soviet Union in 1990 is profoundly misplaced. ... if one wants to draw an analogy between the Islamic Republic and another important country whose political order is grounded in a particular ideology and experiences periodic political conflict, a better analogue—and one much more useful as a guide for American policy—would be the People's Republic of China. Tiananmen Square—where far more protestors were killed than have died in Iran since June 12—did not portend the collapse of the People’s Republic. It would have been foolhardy in the extreme for U.S. policymakers to act as if that were the case. Why are so many who should know better arguing that this weekend’s protests in Iran portend the demise of the Islamic Republic?

[Yank in France]

03:02 PM on 01/04/2010

Thoughtful post, Bibi, although I do not agree with your analogy.

I do agree that this report is obviously bogus, probably set out to create psychological pressure on the Iranian govt.

Your analogy with the PRoC does not work for me because the two countries are profoundly different, as you yourself so aptly pointed out. The Chinese have lived under one of the most brutal and reckless totalitarian regimes of all time, with millions of dead to their credit. Most Chinese, even the most educated ones we see on these Internet fora, have been formed/deformed by that experience about which they have not even begun to understand the consequences.

The Iranians have a long history of expressing themselves and also have long been in contact with the Western world. The Iranians, like the Chinese, have a proud history/civilization, but the Iranians have been exposed to Western ideas much longer. They also only recently (30 some years ago) led a vast revolution against the Shah, unlike the Chinese who have been led toward a capitalist economy from the top down.

For Mao Tse-Tung and his followers, it was crucial to maintain a strong central govt in China without which the nation could not prosper. The Iranians, including the opposition, do not object to a strong central govt and the nation does not face any threat of an ethnical or regional split. They just want a different central govt!

[Shomali]

12:09 PM on 12/31/2009

This is non-sense. If this was a secret and a fact, all of the orders will be done verbally.

A couple of weeks ago there was a document published at Times of London about Iran developing nuclear triggers. That document was debunked last week:

( http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2009/12/30/iran-nuclear-trigger-document-a-forgery-mossad-suspected-as-culprit/ )

Now this document surfaces. The real question is how does these type of stuff gets propagated in the legitimate news media without being double checked? I would imagine people behind these documents know how to forge Kenyan birth certificates as well.

[BiBiJan]

12:02 PM on 01/01/2010

Shomali,

I share your frustration with some segments of the media. The dissemination of unchecked, unverified, and even occasionally completely nonsensical 'reports' leaves me wondering what value do mainstream media add to a simple google search? But, It is not just the media. The fundamental prejudice against Iran/Iranians pervades foreign policy elite too.

From http://www.raceforiran.com/is-there-a-domestic-race-for-iran

Protests may flare again in Iran in coming months. But, drawing analogies between the Islamic Republic today and the Shah’s regime in 1978 or the Soviet Union in 1990 is profoundly misplaced. ... if one wants to draw an analogy between the Islamic Republic and another important country whose political order is grounded in a particular ideology and experiences periodic political conflict, a better analogue—and one much more useful as a guide for American policy—would be the People's Republic of China. Tiananmen Square—where far more protestors were killed than have died in Iran since June 12—did not portend the collapse of the People’s Republic. It would have been foolhardy in the extreme for U.S. policymakers to act as if that were the case. Why are so many who should know better arguing that this weekend’s protests in Iran portend the demise of the Islamic Republic?

[ibsteve2u]

08:42 AM on 12/31/2009

Ever notice that tyrants never have the courage of their seeming convictions?

At least, never enough to stick around and try to face the people down when the latter finally see through them and throw off their yoke?

lollll...if the American people were ever to get truly fed up with the rightie manipulation of their lives, I'm afraid the event would result in global warming reaching the tipping point within the week - 'cuz those boyz own an awful lot of jets.

Yes, indeed....their decades of success in shafting the American people would be reflected in the solid sheet of contrails glowing in the sunset of the power.

[notb observer]

02:16 PM on 12/30/2009

Maybe NBC can charter a jet to pick him up and fly him to Russia. Then they can snag the "exclusive" on the story....

[Middle Blue]

07:57 AM on 12/31/2009

Hey, NBC just gave him a ride. They were going that way anyway. And the commercial flight was late. The seats were small. The food was no good.

(Nice way to pay for an interview, isn't it?)

[Mollabaji]

01:40 PM on 12/30/2009

Steve, do you get paid for this nonsense? What a shame.

[JaxReader]

03:17 PM on 12/30/2009

Anything that is not directly released from the IRI propaganda tank, or spoken out of Khamenei or Ahmadinejad's mouth is nonsense to you. No one is surprised.

[wm1066]

12:49 PM on 12/30/2009

Well, RT Russia Today news service isn't reporting on this story so I'm not sure its real.
They are talking about the fall of that little squirt "Ima dinner jacket" . I bet he ends up in China if he makes it out alive.

[JaxReader]

03:23 PM on 12/30/2009

Russia also did not cover the protests of the opposition, and actually wished Ahmadinejad good luck in suppressing the uprising. They wouldn't cover the story even if it was true. Russia's government has a long history of supporting Iranian governments that oppress their people. I believe it was 1922 after the constitutional revolution in Iran that the Cossaks actually killed about 22 protesters in a demonstration in Iran.

[lightningbolt]

11:20 AM on 12/30/2009

He's planning on fleeing to Russia? That pretty much proves that the supreme leader is simply a Russian apparatchik running Iran for the benefit of Russia. There was a similar situation in Latin America, where overthrown dictators would flee to the U.S. since they were U.S. apparatchiks running their countries for the benefit of the U.S.

[Vahuman]

10:24 AM on 12/30/2009

Disclaimer, If I were to state a fact it doesn't mean that I personally approve or favor it.

In my opinion the probababiltiy of this news being factual is less than 1%. Either Radio Netherlands and BBC don't know what's going on, or they had other motives to publish such a piece.

[33Greeper]

09:53 AM on 12/30/2009

Let's get some definitive proof!

[Middle Blue]

09:33 AM on 12/30/2009

I think that the people who control the guns will 'win' control here.

Who has all of the guns?

I think they'll just kill until the opposition lies down.

[Omid Habibinia]

08:10 AM on 12/30/2009

The News is wrong and based on a FAKE document, here I worte why this document is fake (Persian):

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4509650&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=77592399671&aid=-1&id=532664847

[Craig Kanalley]

08:55 AM on 12/30/2009

Omid, can you provide translation, further information or why it is believed to be fake? I can update the post accordingly if you share some additional info. (I am familiar with you and I've heard good things about you in the past when it comes to info out of Iran.)

Another quick question -- the report says he could flee, not that he will. Behind closed doors, is it really unrealistic that the Supreme Leader has some plan in case the worst unfolds for him?

[Omid Habibinia]

11:21 AM on 12/30/2009

Hi plz use google but it is so childish and fake!

Here is Google Translate ( not so good but you can understand something!)

Why this confidential document is a forgery?
This is a confidential document "fake" these days on other sites and Facebook is the Forum I

Pathology

1 - Below logo of the Islamic Republic Islamic Republic of Iran are no words
2 - part dark due to lack of information have been black inventor and not because of security
3 - March letter is the sixth in January of this document on the same day "Lou has been which is consistent with the logic
4 - response to letter Corps, the fifth day with this rate seems unlikely
5 - Supreme National Security Council is the highest organs of state security and not to Iranian Revolutionary Guards writes "will be used to Asthzar" but to matter
6 - Piero and file letters above the letter in the right office comes
7 - National Security Council as the highest organ protection security can not be shared Corps Act, but all military and security forces under the Council considered this matter are
8 - No mail is confidential in the Persian month Mehr
9 - the theme is foolish letter
10 - inventor due to lack of information Amzaknndh name is black, no effect of the index and is not numbered or initial letter

Other cases the course can be a confidential document defects and building this fraud would

[Matt Osborne]

07:41 AM on 12/30/2009

Khamenei is caught in the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, he has left himself no room for political compromise; on the other hand, he absolutely needs a political compromise to end this crisis. Either route takes a big bite out of the legitimacy of his office.

While I'm not sure he's ready to flee the country, it makes sense that he'd have the jet dusted off and fueled up.

[spellathon]

06:12 AM on 12/30/2009

Fake news, go on posting rumors like these.

[freud]

08:14 AM on 12/30/2009

Yes, please flee to Russia. May we help you pack your bags?

[spellathon]

05:16 AM on 12/30/2009

Exactly, the rumors are for developing.. let these rumors develop.

[guendy]

04:14 AM on 12/30/2009

What a coward, he gets to leave while millions of Persians can't leave the country.

[stpmdn]

09:11 AM on 12/30/2009

Actually Iranians can leave the country anytime they want. This is not Soviet Union or North Korea

[jonmonbuckeye]

09:46 AM on 12/30/2009

It would be better to provide them with the means to defend themselves. If he goes to Russia, send him to the Hague for crimes against humanity. Make him a cell mate of Mr. Cheney please...

[guendy]

03:49 AM on 01/03/2010

Yes, if you have the means to leave and a country that will allow you without a visa.