Trump has called for a diplomatic meeting with Iran, but “supervisor leader” is nowhere to be found
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Iran’s “supervisor leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was a no-show in potential negotiations with the US in Turkey last week, reportedly hiding as U.S. troops slammed Iran’s nuclear sites this weekend.
president Donald Trump It reportedly last week they were working with Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan to coordinate high-level consultations between us in Istanbul and Iranian officials.
Trump told Erdogan that he could deploy Vice President JD Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff. And Trump offered to come to Turkey itself if it meant negotiating with Iranian President Masudo Pezeshkian to negotiate a diplomatic resolution on the Israeli-Iran war and nuclear deal. Axios reported, It cites three US officials and sources with direct knowledge of the issue.
Trump also received a “signal” from Iranian back channel hours before his call Erdogan and They wanted to talk, a White House official told Axios.

Iranian worshipers are holding hands as a sign of unity with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an anti-Israel rally to condemn Israel’s attacks in Tehran, Iran on June 20, 2025. (Morteza Nikoubazl/Nurphoto via Getty Images)
Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reportedly informed Trump’s Pezeshkian and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut. Pezeschkian and Aragchi then attempt to contact Khamenei to get a sign-off, but for hours they were unable to contact him. Sources said Iranians told Turkish officials that they were unable to approve the meeting to Khamenei. The Turkish side has since informed the US that the meeting was off the table.

Iranian worshipers yell anti-As and anti-Israel slogans in Tehran on June 20, 2025 in a portrait of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Morteza Nikoubazl/Nurphoto via Getty Images)
According to New York Times, Khamenei has evacuated to the bunker and has stopped all electronic communications with his commander. He relays orders only through trustworthy aides to protect his place amid the concerns of assassination.
In a Saturday night speech from the White House, Trump announced that the US military had “run a massive precision strike at three major nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime.” Fordou, Natantz, Esfahan. A few days ago he showed that the US knows where to find Khamenei.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Super Leader’ is hiding,” Trump wrote earlier last week. “He’s an easy target, but he’s safe there – we won’t take him out (kill him!), or at least not for now. But we don’t want to shoot missiles at civilians and American soldiers. Our patience is thin.

The demonstrators hold a photo of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Alikhamenei while gathering with others during a rally in Tehran on June 14, 2025. (via Atta Kenare/AFP Getty Images)
The Iranian leader, who works on social media and often posts multiple times a day on X, has been silent on the platform even before the US attacks.
According to Iranian expert and editor-in-chief of foreign desks, Lisa Dafari, Iran, despite Khamenei’s involvement, is not making a sincere diplomacy.
“Diplomacy never worked with a regime like Iran – a regime built on the whole ideology of “death to America” and “death to Israel,” Daftali told Fox News Digital. “Murler never took compromise or peace seriously.”
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Daftali said, “Trump explored all the paths, including back-channel diplomacy, but when the Supreme Leader darkened, we made sure we always knew: this is a duplicate murder regime that is not interested in dialogue.”
According to Daftari, “Trump made the right decision to act on a limited and accurate military strike to send a clear message”: the red line was the only responsible conclusion if Iran had acquired nuclear weapons.”