The latest”
Iran’s draft understanding with the United States is running into two problems at once: political resistance in Tehran and a leadership structure built around secrecy.
Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has remained out of public view since taking power after his father’s assassination in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Reports cited by CBS News, the Financial Times and Firstpost say he is governing from undisclosed underground locations through handwritten messages carried by couriers.
Details:
• U.S. intelligence officials reportedly believe Khamenei has stopped using digital communications to avoid detection.
• Even senior Iranian officials involved in talks with Washington reportedly do not know where he is located.
• According to Firstpost, citing CBS News and the Financial Times, Khamenei now communicates through a courier network designed to prevent traceable patterns.
• The system has become a diplomatic bottleneck. U.S. officials say proposals sent to Tehran face long delays before they reach the supreme leader and return with a response.
• The delay comes as Washington and Tehran discuss a 60-day framework to extend the ceasefire, gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz and create space for nuclear and sanctions talks.
• Mehdi Khanalizadeh, an Iranian state TV commentator who accompanied Iran’s negotiating team in Islamabad, said the current draft violates eight of 10 conditions approved by Khamenei, according to Iran International.
• Khanalizadeh also said the draft contradicts the Supreme National Security Council’s ceasefire statement.
• Israeli sources said there is no indication Khamenei has approved the memorandum.
• U.S. officials have described the deal as 95% complete, but Iran’s Foreign Ministry has pushed back against claims that signing is imminent.
• Saudi Arabia has kept daily contact with Iranian counterparts during the crisis, but reports suggest its channel runs through Iran’s foreign ministry and elected government, not directly to Khamenei.
What to watch:
The key question is whether Iran’s negotiators have the authority to close the deal. If Khamenei’s approval remains unreachable, the draft could stall even if technical terms are nearly finished. The bigger risk for Washington is that Tehran’s bunker rule turns every proposal into a waiting game.
