Iran, Trump: “We’re negotiating with a ‘major figure,’ but not with the new Supreme Leader”

Open channels with Tehran, but in the shadows. U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that Washington is in contact with a high-ranking figure within the Iranian regime, while explicitly ruling out the new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

“The talks took place yesterday, March 22, and continued late into the evening,” Trump told reporters at the West Palm Beach airport, announcing that contacts would persist in the coming hours. “We will meet today, probably by phone, because it is very difficult to find a neutral country for an in-person meeting,” he added.

“A major figure” but not Khamenei’s son

When asked who the Iranian interlocutor was, Trump responded laconically: “A major figure.” He then explicitly excluded the new Supreme Leader. “Don’t forget that we eliminated the leadership in Phase One, Phase Two, and largely in Phase Three. But we are dealing with the man I believe is the most respected in Iran,” the President explained.

Regarding Khamenei’s son, who has been named as his successor, Trump cast further doubt: “Nobody has ever heard of the second Supreme Leader. We don’t even know if he’s alive.”

The knot of Iranian internal communication

Trump also sought to explain why Iranian authorities continue to publicly deny the existence of any negotiations with Washington. According to the President, information regarding the new contacts has likely “not been passed down” to the officials issuing the denials due to internal chaos in Iran. The Iranian chain of command, he emphasized, has been “torn to pieces,” and communications are severely compromised.

Photo thewhitehouse.gov