‘Designated target’ Mojtaba Khamenei to sign Trump’s deal through an ‘unprecedented’ courier arrangement

(SeaPRwire) –   Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, would need to approve any final agreement with the U.S. via covert courier networks while remaining concealed as a “designated target,” according to counterterrorism experts on Tuesday.

This unprecedented arrangement, they argued, means Washington is negotiating a high-stakes deal with a completely unseen counterpart, potentially resulting in a memorandum signed by a regime leader who is also a “designated target” and can never appear in public.

“Khamenei is a designated target, and every verified sighting provides a location,” Dr. Omar Mohammed told Digital.

“The courier system used for communication is not temporary. It is the core mechanism of his leadership.

“Any agreement the United States enters into must account for a permanently hidden counterpart whose ability to enforce terms hinges on his survival. This diverges from traditional understandings of arms control. It is a memorandum concluded under U.S. military pressure, involving a regime whose leader cannot reveal himself.”

Mohammed’s comments followed remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who explained to reporters in India the reasons behind delays in the deal.

“It’s simply the response time,” Rubio said. “When you get into the details, you have to wait for feedback, and the Iranians—well, they take a bit longer to reply,” he stated.

“That is Secretary Rubio acknowledging the courier delay on the record,” said Dr. Omar Mohammed, director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative Program on Extremism at George Washington University. “Rubbo is describing an inherent aspect of negotiating with a supreme leader whose whereabouts are unknown.

“Mojtaba remains in hiding, communications are relayed by courier, and replies arrive days later.

“Rubio has identified the symptom, and the administration is being transparent about the challenge. The real issue is whether the framework can endure under these conditions,” Mohammed asserted.

Khamenei has been in hiding for nearly three months as tensions with the U.S. intensify.

He went underground immediately after a strike on Feb. 28 killed his father, amid reports that he had been seriously wounded.

He was injured in Operation Epic Fury—”wounded and likely disfigured,” according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. His wife and son were killed in the same attack.

“Even top officials within the Iranian government do not know his location,” Mohammed said, meaning all information reaching him is “outdated, and his responses are significantly delayed.”

The remarks come as Iran and the United States continue negotiations aimed at securing a deal to end the conflict that began on Feb. 28.

“If a deal is to happen, we’ll have to work through these issues. But it will either be a solid agreement or there won’t be one at all,” Rubio said Tuesday.

A senior administration official stated that the U.S. is ready to relax sanctions if Iran makes substantial concessions on uranium enrichment. The status of frozen Iranian assets has also become a major sticking point.

Iran stated on Monday that no agreement with the United States is imminent, despite progress toward a framework in the talks.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the focus of discussions remains ending the war across all fronts, including Lebanon, and that a potential memorandum of understanding does not include specific provisions for managing the Strait of Hormuz.

“The real challenge for Washington is not how quickly the framework can be finalized,” Mohammed added.

“It is also what enforcement looks like when the counterpart’s signature is delivered by courier.”