US President Donald Trump wanted to hold talks with Iran, but officials were unable to "reach" the bunker of the supreme leader of the Islamic state, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This was reported by Axios, citing three unnamed American officials, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were unpublicly trying to arrange a meeting between high-ranking US and Iranian officials in Istanbul this week amidst the escalation of the Israel-Iran war.
But this attempt failed when Iran's supreme leader, who was in hiding for fear of assassination, could not be reached
The authors indicate that Trump allegedly was even ready to go and conclude a deal himself, if Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian came.
"However, Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Aragchi tried to contact Iran's supreme leader to approve the plan. But Khamenei "was hiding for fear of being killed by Israel and was not available," the media quotes one of its interlocutors.
Recall
According to The New York Times, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has chosen replacements for his military command in case his officials die as a result of Israeli strikes. He also appointed three high-ranking clerics to replace him if the Ayatollah himself is eliminated.