The peace negotiations between the United States and Iran are reportedly inching closer to an agreement, according to remarks made by US President Donald Trump on Sunday. However, the talks have involved a long phase of back-and-forth exchanges, with both sides pushing for terms favourable to them.
One of the key factors slowing communication is Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and his undisclosed location, according to a report. US intelligence believes he is currently staying at an undisclosed location with very limited access to the outside world, making it difficult for Iranian leaders to brief him on the latest developments in the negotiations, CBS News reported, citing US officials familiar with the matter.
The report further says that the only way to reach the Supreme Leader is through a complex network of couriers designed to prevent his location from being traced. As a result, Iranian officials authorised to negotiate with the Trump administration are reportedly facing difficulties communicating even within their own government system.
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When the US sends a proposal, the difficulty in reaching Khamenei often leads to long delays before Washington receives a response, two officials told CBS News.
A senior administration official also revealed that the Supreme Leader has agreed to the framework of the current draft agreement, following which Trump posted on Truth Social that a final deal would be announced soon, the report said.
A White House spokesperson, however, declined to comment on intelligence related to the Supreme Leader’s whereabouts or Iran’s internal communication methods.
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Most Iranian leaders in hiding
Several senior Iranian officials have reportedly been in hiding since the war began. According to sources cited by CBS News, many are living in heavily fortified bunkers and avoid speaking to one another unless absolutely necessary.
The Supreme Leader is also said to be taking extraordinary precautions to avoid strikes similar to the one that reportedly killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28.
“Watching them try to figure out how to talk to each other is almost like watching a sitcom. They are completely exasperated,” one official told CBS News.
The report further claimed that even many senior Iranian officials are unaware of the Supreme Leader’s exact location. He is only communicated through a series of couriers, because of which the information he receives is often outdated.
“This is why you see people saying things like, ‘The supreme leader has agreed to the framework,’ or ‘We’re waiting to hear back on the final deal points.’ Every piece of information he receives is dated and there’s a lot of latency to his responses,” one official said.
According to the report, Khamenei has communicated only in broad terms with his subordinates, outlining which issues are open for negotiation and which are off limits.
Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly injured in the US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Several senior Iranian officials were also killed in the attacks, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The situation in West Asia remains tense as officials from both sides continue efforts to secure a deal that could end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has maintained that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and has also demanded that Tehran hand over its enriched uranium to the US.
Another key condition for the peace deal is the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically vital waterway that has remained shut since the beginning of the conflict.
