WASHINGTON, DC: Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly vanished from the public eye, and for good reason.
According to a report by The New York Times, he’s bunkered down deep underground, with all electronic communications cut off amid fears of an assassination attempt.
The supreme leader’s disappearance comes on the heels of US airstrikes targeting key Iranian nuclear sites. Until Khamenei resurfaces to address the nation — or its adversaries — Iran’s official response remains a mystery.
Ali Khamenei ghosts negotiations
Last week, as whispers of potential US-Iran diplomacy floated through Istanbul, Khamenei was noticeably absent. Behind the scenes, President Donald Trump was working with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to arrange high-level talks between US and Iranian officials.
Trump even suggested sending Vice President JD Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the discussions. He added that he would fly to Turkey himself if it meant a real shot at brokering peace.
According to Axios, Trump aimed for a face-to-face meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to negotiate a nuclear deal and de-escalate the growing Israel-Iran conflict. Just before Trump called Erdogan, he reportedly received “signals” from Iranian back channels indicating they were open to dialogue. “They wanted to talk,” a White House official told Axios.
Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan relayed Trump’s offer to Pezeshkian and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. However, Pezeshkian and Araghchi needed Supreme Leader Khamenei’s approval to proceed, and no one could reach him for hours.
Sources told Axios that the Iranian side eventually returned with a rejection. And that was it—the meeting was off.
Ali Khamenei makes moves while hiding in bunker
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that Khamenei was holed up in a heavily fortified bunker, with no electronics and no direct communication, issuing orders only through a trusted aide to keep his location secret. He’s not taking any chances after the airstrikes, especially with top Iranian military commanders recently killed in Israeli attacks.
Reportedly aware he could be next, Khamenei is making behind-the-scenes moves concerning Iran’s future leadership.
According to The New York Times, he is handpicking replacements for his fallen commanders and has even ordered the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for naming Iran’s next supreme leader, to immediately select his successor from a list he has drawn up.
Furthermore, sources say he has already made peace with the idea of martyrdom.
Donald Trump’s warning shot
Back in Washington, Trump told the nation on the night of June 21 that US forces had “carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.”
Earlier that week, Trump had already issued a warning to his Iranian counterpart.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding,” he posted on Truth Social. “He is an easy target, but is safe there — we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Interestingly, the ayatollah, usually very active on X (formerly Twitter) and posting multiple times a day, has gone radio-silent following the US strikes.
Iran expert says ‘they were never serious’ about peace
Lisa Daftari, an Iran expert and editor-in-chief at The Foreign Desk, wasn’t surprised by any of this. According to her, the whole idea of negotiations with Tehran was always a pipe dream.
“Diplomacy was never going to work with a regime like Iran’s — a regime whose entire ideology is built on ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel,’” she told Fox News. “The mullahs were never serious about compromise or peace.”
She said that Trump went above and beyond. “Trump explored every avenue, including back-channel diplomacy, but when the Supreme Leader went dark, it confirmed what we’ve always known: This is a duplicitous, murderous regime that isn’t interested in dialogue,” she explained.
In Daftari’s view, Trump had little choice. According to her, he “made the right decision to act with limited, precise military strikes” to send “a clear message: If the red line was Iran getting nuclear weapons, then force—targeted and decisive was the only responsible conclusion.”
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