TEHRAN

NEWS THAT AYATOLLAH Mojtaba Khamenei escaped the explosion that killed his father, his wife, his children, his brother-in-law and others when he decided to step outside for a walk in his garden, only seconds before an Israeli missile hit his family home, is causing Iranians to raise an eyebrow or two and speculate whether it was God’s will or something more earthly that kept him alive.

“Anyone who survives a missile strike by the Americans or Israelis is looked upon with suspicion,” says James Band, a former MI6 officer who has become an Orthodox nun. “And those whose escape is a matter of seconds before a strike are the subject of extreme curiosity. Many believe it is the work of God, but a not everyone. I am sure Mojtaba Khamenei is above suspicion, but I can’t help wondering. Then you say, no, he couldn’t be. But it would be the greatest exercise in regime change in history if it turned out that he was. I’ll say no more than that.”