The latest
U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence said information from inside the Iranian government helped the United States and Israel identify and strike a large share of Iran’s leadership during the war.
According to the officials, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is now effectively isolated in a secret location. He can only be reached through a complex courier network designed to hide his whereabouts.
That system is also slowing diplomacy. Iranian officials authorized to deal with the Trump administration are struggling to communicate inside their own government, making responses to U.S. proposals slower and harder to finalize.
When Washington sends proposed terms, the message can take a long time to reach Khamenei. The United States then has to wait for a reply that moves back through the same restricted channel.
Details
• The White House declined to comment on intelligence about Khamenei’s location or Iran’s internal communication methods.
• A senior U.S. administration official said Khamenei had agreed to the broad outlines of the current draft agreement.
• President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he expects a final response in the coming days.
• The report said Mojtaba Khamenei has adopted extreme security measures to avoid strikes similar to those that killed his father, Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran from 1989 until Feb. 28.
• Khamenei has not been seen or heard in public since before the war began.
• U.S. officials said intelligence from inside the Iranian government helped Washington and Tel Aviv locate and target much of Iran’s senior leadership during the war.
• According to the sources, most Iranian leaders are spending weeks inside heavily fortified bunkers and avoiding direct contact unless absolutely necessary.
• Even senior Iranian officials do not know where Khamenei is and have no direct way to reach him.
• Messages reach him through a courier network built to obscure his location and prevent tracking.
Direct impact
The targeting of much of Iran’s leadership, according to the U.S. account, has pushed Khamenei deeper into isolation and made decision-making inside the system slower and more confused.
Every message that reaches the supreme leader is delayed. Every reply takes more time. That is why phrases such as “the supreme leader has approved the framework” or “we are waiting for the final response” keep appearing, while the actual details remain stuck between intermediaries, couriers and a hidden leadership circle.
What to watch
The key question now is whether Tehran delivers a final response in the coming days, as Trump expects, or whether the isolation of Iran’s decision-making center keeps the possible agreement on hold.
