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.

He has also suspended the use of electronic gadgets, possibly in response to President Trump’s social media remark last week in which he fantasized about “killing” Khamenei.

According to the New York Times, three persons have been listed as prospective successors to Khamenei in the case of his death.

According to the Daily Mail, Khamenei created a three-man committee two years ago to determine his eventual replacement, and the work has quickened in recent days. Five people familiar with Khamenei’s movement told Reuters that he is also responding to Israel’s threat to murder him.