An underground complex built by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to protect former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei included blast-resistant shelters, escape tunnels, and a fortified room designed to shield him from a missile attack, Iran International reported. The report is based on architectural plans allegedly obtained by the outlet and authenticated by a security source.

The underground facility, known as the Habib Ebrahimi complex, was constructed over the course of nearly a decade near Khamenei’s official residence in central Tehran. Construction reportedly began in 2009 and continued until the end of the previous decade. The complex was named after Habib Ebrahimi, Khamenei’s former driver, who died before work on the project began.

The architectural plans show a vehicle entrance descending approximately 30 meters below ground into the bunker. A 27-meter tunnel connected the facility to multiple escape routes leading to nearby streets, while another tunnel linked it to a parking garage near Enghelab Square in central Tehran. Iran International also reviewed construction photographs showing one of the tunnel exits, as well as images of a separate five-story underground office complex intended for senior officials in the Supreme Leader’s office.

Sources familiar with the project told Iran International that the site was concealed beneath what appeared to be a sports center. Below ground, the complex reportedly included a three-level parking garage, firing ranges, and two shelters built at depths of approximately 30 and 35 meters. One of the shelters contained a blast-resistant room specifically designed to protect Khamenei in the event of a missile attack.

The documents reportedly show that the project was approved by Khamenei and financed by the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters. Oversight was entrusted to the IRGC’s engineering division under Brig. Gen. Ali Masjedian, while construction was carried out by the Shahid Rajaei Institute, a subsidiary of Khatam al-Anbiya headed by Brig. Gen. Hossein Akbari. His brother, Brig. Gen. Hassan Akbari, reportedly supervised construction while also serving as one of Khamenei’s closest bodyguards and as a senior officer in the IRGC unit responsible for protecting the Supreme Leader.

The Habib Ebrahimi complex was among the targets struck by the IDF during its March 2026 operation against the Supreme Leader’s compound. However, satellite imagery reviewed by Iran International did not provide clear evidence that the underground facility itself had been destroyed. The findings also contradict previous public statements by former Iranian officials, including former Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, who claimed Khamenei did not have an underground bunker, and former broadcaster and tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami, who said Khamenei had opposed building such a shelter for himself.

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