President Donald Trump said he believes Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has approved a draft agreement with the U.S. [1, 2].
The potential agreement aims to reduce regional tensions and prevent a broader conflict by reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and restarting formal nuclear talks [1, 2].
Trump posted the statement on his Truth Social account on June 11 [1]. He said the approval is part of ongoing high-stakes negotiations between the two nations [1, 2].
"I believe Ayatollah Khamenei has approved a deal with the United States," Trump said [1].
Despite the president's statement, other reports have contradicted the premise that the Supreme Leader is available to negotiate. Some reports suggested that Khamenei died in a U.S.–Israel strike, while other sources claimed Trump himself had previously said the leader was dead [1, 2].
The discrepancy between the president's announcement of a deal and reports of the leader's death creates a conflict regarding the current leadership status in Tehran. Trump's statement focuses on the diplomatic breakthrough and the belief that a draft agreement is now acceptable to the Iranian leadership [1, 2].
“"I believe Ayatollah Khamenei has approved a deal with the United States."”
The conflicting reports regarding the status of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei create significant uncertainty about the validity of the proposed deal. If the Supreme Leader is indeed deceased, any agreement attributed to him would be void; however, if the reports of his death are incorrect, the announcement signals a major diplomatic pivot toward the restoration of nuclear talks and the stabilization of critical maritime trade routes.
