Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi secretly informed US envoy Steve Witkoff that Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved negotiations to reach a potential agreement, Al Arabiya reported on Tuesday, citing Israeli media, UNN writes.
Details
Sources told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth that Iran's supreme leader, who was appointed after his father Ali Khamenei died during the first strike of the US-Israeli war against Iran last month, agreed to quickly end the war under Iran's terms.
As ynet writes, after Trump announced a channel for negotiations that could lead to an agreement, Aragchi's secret message to Witkoff: "We have received Mojtaba's consent and blessing." "Iran quickly denied this. But a phone call between the Iranian foreign minister and Witkoff, with Kushner's participation, shows a different picture. The Iranian official confirmed that Khamenei Jr. had taken his murdered father's place and made it clear that the heir 'approved closing the story as soon as possible if our conditions are met.'" Israel, the publication writes, remained outside the negotiations and accidentally learned of their existence.
Addition
Initially giving Iran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced on Monday that he had ordered a five-day delay in any military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.
He said that negotiations, which Iran denies, are being held with a "senior official," but not with the country's supreme leader.
Trump later told Fox News that a deal with Iran could be reached within five days or less, adding that Iran wants to make a deal.