Iran regime change soon amid intensifying protest? Report claims Khamenei to flee Iran after Trump's warning

Amid massive protests in Iran against the economic crumble, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has a back-up plan to flee the country, according to a report. This also comes at the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's action against Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, and a warning to all other countries to fall in line. The report also claimed that Khamenei might flee to Moscow similar to Syria's Bashar al-Assad.

Also Read: 'If they start killing people...': Trump warns Khamenei of strike as Iran protest enters second week

The Times quoted an intelligence report and claimed that Khamenei plans to escape Tehran with a close circle of up to 20 aides and family. The report also quoted Beni Sabti saying that Khamenei would flee to Moscow as “there is no other place for him." Sabti served for decades in Israeli intelligence after fleeing the regime eight years after the Islamic revolution. He claimed that Khamenei “admires Putin, while the Iranian culture is more similar to the Russian culture.”

The report surfaces around the same time when Trump has warned Iran that it would get "hit very hard" by the United States if more protesters die. "We're watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States," Trump told reporters. Earlier on Jan 2, he had taken to Truth Social and said, “We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Also Read: Iran protesters attempt to break into government building, Revolutionary Guard volunteer killed

US bombs Venezuela, captures and jails Maduro

In an operation titled Operation Absolute Resolve, the US, on Saturday (Jan 3), entered Venezuela, bombed Caracas and captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their presidential palace. Maduro was flown to USS Iwo Jima, then to Guantánamo Bay, and finally by government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in NY. He is held at Brooklyn’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, and he faces narco-terrorism charges. He is set to appear in Manhattan federal court on Jan 5.

Iran Protest

Iranians started protesting on December 28 against economic collapse, and are demanding political regime change. The protest was triggered after the Iranian rial hit a record low of approximately 1.45 million to 1 USD in December 2025, losing nearly half its value since the start of the year. Soon after, inflation hit all time high with food prices surging by 72 per cent and medical goods by 50 per cent. The widespread protest also comes after a 2026 budget proposed 62 per cent tax increase. Some videos also show protesters chanting slogans in support of Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who is the exiled eldest son of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah. At least 12 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed since, according to a toll based on official reports. The demonstrations are the most significant in Iran since a 2022-2023 movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women.