Iran’s supreme leader is “cowering” deep beneath the surface of his country, preparing for his inevitable death and planning to select a successor, according to official insiders.

Two top Iranian officials informed The Atlantic that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s days are short, and they may not wait for him to die of natural causes before removing him. Khamenei faces the most critical leadership test of his career after the United States destroyed three of the country’s main nuclear enrichment sites on Sunday.

“Everybody knows Khamenei’s days are numbered,” claimed one official. “Even if he stays in office, he won’t have actual power.”

Khamenei, 86, has ruled Iran since 1989. Generational shift has swept the country of 92 million people, with an average age of 34 years. Long-standing health issues, along with the ambitions of younger senior national officials, contribute to the perception that Khamenei is not the best candidate to rule Iran after 2025.

The Iranian supreme leader last addressed the country on Wednesday from a secret underground bunker where he was hunkered down in anticipation of a U.S. strike. President Trump previously stated that he would decide “within two weeks” whether to strike Iran, a feint that White House officials say was intended to conceal the fact that he had already decided.