Due to persistent assassination threats, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, continues to reside in an undisclosed and secure location. It is reported that his means of communication there are also extremely limited. This information was disclosed in a report by CBS News.
CBS states that the only current means of communicating with Mojtaba Khamenei is through a ‘secret courier network.’ Citing U.S. intelligence officials, CBS News noted in its report that this clandestine communication system has emerged as a major impediment to the ongoing peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran. This is because Iranian negotiators frequently encounter difficulties in establishing direct contact with the Supreme Leader.
New proposals dispatched from Washington often fail to reach the Supreme Leader directly. Consequently, obtaining a response takes a considerable amount of time.
The White House has stated that it will offer no comment regarding Mojtaba Khamenei’s whereabouts or Iran’s internal communication infrastructure.
However, a senior U.S. administration official told CBS that, prior to President Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social, Khamenei had given his assent to the framework of the current draft agreement. In his post, Trump had indicated that a final decision regarding the agreement with Iran would be reached within a matter of days.
Mojtaba Khamenei has been absent from the public eye for an extended period. On February 28, a surprise attack by U.S. and Israeli forces resulted in the deaths of dozens of Iran’s top officials and leaders—including the country’s then-Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Subsequently, Mojtaba assumed the mantle of the country’s Supreme Leader. Yet, since taking office, Mojtaba Khamenei has not made a single public appearance.
During the conflict, U.S. and Israeli forces utilized internal intelligence regarding the Iranian government to identify and target the country’s top leadership. As a result, many Iranian leaders now avoid appearing in public, engaging in communication only on a limited basis and strictly when necessary.
A U.S. official told CBS that the internal communication system of the Iranian leadership has become so convoluted that “trying to figure out how they communicate has become something of a drama in itself.” However, the strictest security measures in Iran are currently in place for Mojtaba Khamenei. Reports claim that even many senior Iranian officials are unaware of his whereabouts, and there is no means of communicating with him directly.
Messages are being delivered to Mojtaba solely through a courier network.
