US Secretary of State: Iran’s Supreme Leader Shows Signs of More Active Role as Talks Continue

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on June 2 that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is showing signs of playing a more active role as talks between the two countries continue following the April 8 ceasefire. Speaking before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said there are indications that Mojtaba Khamenei — who has not appeared publicly since a US airstrike killed his father and predecessor on the first day of the war — is still alive and more deeply involved in running the country.

“I think there are signs that he is increasingly engaged at some level, although all his communications are through written channels and intermediaries,” the top US diplomat said.

Rubio’s remarks came as Tehran reviews the latest version of a US proposal to end the war, which President Donald Trump is said to have tightened in recent days. Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, citing a source close to the country’s negotiating team, reported that Tehran is still studying the latest proposal and has not been in contact with the US for several days. The official stressed Iran is taking a “hardline” approach due to its belief that Washington has not adhered to the ceasefire and due to a general lack of trust.

Deal ‘could be reached today, could be next week’

President Trump has said his priorities for any agreement include Iran agreeing never to develop nuclear weapons and reopening the Strait of Hormuz — which before the war carried about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply. In a series of social media posts on June 1, Trump said talks with Iran were moving “at a rapid pace” and “everything will work out.”

Responding to lawmakers, Rubio said US-Iran talks could now include “aspects of the nuclear program” that Tehran refused to discuss just a month ago. However, “that does not guarantee the talks will ultimately lead to an acceptable deal,” Rubio warned. “There is near-term potential — it could happen today, tomorrow, or next week,” he added.

Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security adviser, said the first condition in the talks is for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, and the country must also commit to negotiations on high-enriched uranium stockpiles. When asked whether the US would lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio said that would not be sufficient. “That has not been discussed. That has not been offered,” Rubio said, adding that sanctions relief would only come after significant concessions on the nuclear program and enriched uranium.

Iran warns of ‘direct confrontation’ if Israel continues ‘aggression’ in Lebanon

The US-Israel war against Iran, which began on February 28, has killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. The war has caused global pain by driving up energy prices after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz — which previously carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply. It has also sparked the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Israel invading deep into Lebanon and even striking areas of the capital Beirut.

On June 2, Israel continued deadly attacks on a series of towns in southern Lebanon, despite a partial ceasefire brokered by the US announced a day earlier. Israel’s ongoing strikes on Lebanon have become a major sticking point for Iran, which insists a full ceasefire in Lebanon must be part of any deal with Washington.

Iranian Parliament Speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that if “Israel’s aggression against Lebanon continues,” Tehran “will not only halt the negotiation path” with the US, “but we will also confront the enemy directly.”