- Mojtaba Khamenei is in a secret location, communicating only via couriers
- Senior Iranian officials cannot contact Mojtaba Khamenei directly
- Communication issues slow US-Iran nuclear deal negotiations significantly
Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is sheltering in a secret, undisclosed location and is communicating with his own government exclusively through a network of couriers, CBS News reported, citing US officials with knowledge of the matter.
The security posture so extreme that even senior Iranian officials have no direct way to reach him, the report said.
The revelation offers a striking window into the dysfunction gripping Iran's leadership as the Trump administration works to finalize a nuclear deal with Tehran, and helps explain why negotiations have proceeded at such a sluggish pace.
According to CBS News, officials at the highest levels of the Iranian government say they do not know where Mojtaba Khamenei is and have no way to contact him directly, relying instead on a network of couriers.
The Iranian officials authorised to work with the Trump administration have been having a difficult time communicating inside their own government — and it is a central reason why the details of a potential deal have been slow to emerge, CBS reported.
When the US sends proposed details, the difficulty in reaching the supreme leader means there can be a long delay before Washington receives a response.
The extraordinary security measures stem directly from the ongoing conflict. Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured in US and Israeli strikes during Operation Epic Fury, is taking extreme precautions to avoid the fate of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in those strikes and had ruled Iran since 1989. Mojtaba has not been publicly seen or heard from since before the war began.
US and Israeli intelligence obtained from inside the Iranian government has made it possible to locate and eliminate much of the Iranian senior leadership during the war — a fact that has driven most Iranian leaders to spend weeks inside heavily fortified bunkers, avoiding contact with one another unless absolutely necessary, CBS reported.
One US official offered assessment of the situation to CBS News. "Watching them try to figure out how to talk to each other is almost like watching a sitcom. They are completely exasperated," the official said.
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Despite the chaos, a senior administration official said the supreme leader had agreed to the broad contours of the current draft agreement, and President Trump posted Sunday that he anticipated a final resolution within days.
The White House declined to comment on intelligence regarding Khamenei's whereabouts or Iran's internal communication methods, CBS reported.
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