US intelligence officials say Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is hiding at an undisclosed location inside Iran, where he is believed to be injured and protected by an elaborate courier system that is slowing sensitive negotiations with Washington.
Reports about Khamenei emerged as US and Iranian officials struggled to pin down the details of a potential deal after months of war and a series of US and Israeli strikes under Operation Epic Fury. According to US officials familiar with the matter, those strikes have already killed much of Iran's senior leadership and wounded Mojtaba himself, turning his personal security into a central factor in how, and how quickly, Tehran can respond.
