Ayatollah Khamenei May Have Started Exporting Gold To Russia

Moscow prepares to evacuate Iranian leader with gold reserve.

Russian military transport planes have been making frequent flights to Tehran since the start of the mass protests that are spreading across Iran and threaten the current regime with loss of power. Russia can provide it with military and technical support while preparing the evacuation of the supreme leader with his closest aides, including the removal of gold. Similarly, it helped dictator Bashar al-Assad escape from Syria just over a year ago.

From December 27, 2025 to January 1, 2026, IL-76TD planes disguised as civilian aircraft flew regular flights from Mineralnye Vody to Tehran, flying over the Caucasus and avoiding airspace controlled by NATO countries, writes the specialized publication Air Cargo Week. These are not random charters, but a purposeful activity, as indicated by the repeated use of the same aircraft and the fact that operators give apparent priority to the speed and reliability of transportation over its economic efficiency, the publication points out: "The decision to carry out multiple flights instead of one consolidated movement of cargo is in line with the doctrine of military logistics."

Protests in Iran broke out on December 28 and have since spread to many cities. The immediate cause was the fall of the rial to a record low; in addition, "the population is experiencing gigantic - if not unbearable - problems due to the deteriorating economic situation and crises in the supply of water, electricity and gas," notes orientalist Mikhail Krutikhin. Although mass demonstrations due to worsening living conditions have happened in Iran more than once, the regime is now weakened after the defeat in the 12-day war with Israel in June, Krutikhin adds. Against this background, there have been reports of preparations for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to flee to Moscow and take out gold.

British MP Tom Tugendhat said Thursday that there are reports of Russian cargo planes landing in Tehran and taking out large amounts of gold from the country. "We are also seeing Russian cargo planes arriving in Tehran, presumably carrying weapons and ammunition, and we are hearing reports of large quantities of gold being taken out of Iran," he was quoted as saying by the UK-based opposition publication Iran International.

Tugendhat asked the British government to comment on the information, which he said could indicate preparations "for life after the fall" of the Islamic regime in Iran. Deputy Foreign Secretary Hamish Falconer, who is responsible for the Middle East and North Africa, said he was "not prepared to provide details" on the matter.

A few days ago, The Times reported, citing intelligence sources, that Ali Khamenei had drawn up an evacuation plan in case the authorities failed to quell mass protests. Twenty people from his inner circle, including aides and family members, are expected to follow. Former Israeli intelligence official Beni Sabti told the newspaper that Khamenei was fleeing to Moscow.

With a cargo of gold, Bashar al-Assad, whom Putin failed to protect in late 2024 from a show of armed opposition, also fled to Moscow.

It is believed that Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi also took out a lot of gold when he fled Iran in January 1979 during the Islamic Revolution. He loaded his Boeing with so much precious metal that it barely took off, says a CIA official in "Operation Argo," a movie about the removal of U.S. embassy staff from revolutionary Iran.

According to Air Cargo Week, flights of IL-76TD aircraft to Tehran have been organized by cargo transport companies - Russia's Aviakon Cytotrans and Belarus' Rubystar Airways - since late December: "Both airlines have a long history of performing government and defense missions in Eurasia, Africa and the Middle East."

The use of civilian carriers provides flexibility and avoids drawing attention, as in the case of military flights, the publication notes. The IL-76TD, developed for military cargo transportation, is capable of delivering "oversized cargo to airfields with limited ground infrastructure, which ensures rapid processing of such cargo and its immediate further distribution."

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