Rubio tells Senate Iran's supreme leader is alive and 'increasingly engaging' as nuclear talks stall

The supreme leader's status

For months, the condition of Iran's new supreme leader has been a source of speculation. Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father Ali Khamenei on 8 March, after the elder leader was killed in US-Israeli strikes on 28 February, the first day of the war. The younger Khamenei was himself wounded in the same bombardment, sustaining what the Iranian government described as "superficial wounds," and has not appeared in public since. All his communications have been transmitted in writing and through intermediaries.

On Tuesday, Marco Rubio offered the most detailed US assessment to date. "I think there are signs that show he is getting more and more involved at a certain level, even though all his communications have been in writing and through third parties," Rubio told the committee. He added that he had not seen the leader in public and imagined that, given what had happened to many regime figures, being highly visible was not something recommended internally.

I think there are signs that show he is getting more and more involved at a certain level, even though all his communications have been in writing and through third parties.

Rubio's remarks appeared designed to clarify who Washington is actually negotiating with. Since the talks began, there had been uncertainty over whether the supreme leader was the true interlocutor or whether multiple factions were competing for power in the Islamic Republic. That it is the son and heir of the late Ali Khamenei, for whom a three-day public funeral is being planned, clarifies the terrain for maintaining contacts, Rubio suggested.

The nuclear negotiations

Indirect talks between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war have been stalled for several weeks. Iran announced a pause on Monday, citing the Israeli offensive in Lebanon. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump contradicted reports that Iran had cut contact, writing on Truth Social that discussions were happening "constantly."

You never know where the negotiations lead, but I told Iran: it's time for you to make a deal, one way or another!

Rubio expressed continued hope for an agreement, though he offered no timeline. A deal could happen "tomorrow, this afternoon, or next week," he said. He noted that Iran had agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear programme that, as recently as a month or a year ago, it refused even to discuss. But he cautioned that this did not guarantee an acceptable final agreement.

Strait of Hormuz and sanctions

Rubio tied any lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports directly to a nuclear accord, not to a broader sanctions relaxation. "If they reopen the Strait of Hormuz, we will lift our blockade," he said. The strait, a critical chokepoint for global oil flows, has been a central point of contention in the conflict.

Military assessment

Rubio offered a candid assessment of Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli campaign launched on 28 February. The operation, he said, had largely achieved its military objectives: considerably reducing Iran's defence industrial base and weakening its conventional shield. But he acknowledged that Iran "still has many drones." The admission came as a reminder that despite the degradation of Iran's military infrastructure, its asymmetric capabilities remain substantial.

The public funeral

According to Iranian state media, the regime is preparing a three-day public funeral for the late Ali Khamenei, who was killed at age 86. The vice-president of the Tehran city council, Amin Tavakolizadeh, said the ceremony would be held in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad, with a 24-hour event in the capital where authorities are preparing for up to 20 million attendees. The IRNA news agency suggested the funeral would take place in mid-June, without specifying a date.

Communication delays

Rubio highlighted a practical obstacle in the negotiations: Iranian officials can take between three and five days to transmit an update on US proposals. The delay, he said, reflected the extreme security measures under which the Iranian leadership operates, with leaders in hiding and using highly secured communication channels to avoid being located. On 26 May, through those same written channels, Mojtaba Khamenei issued a series of belligerent statements directed at Israel and the United States, reaffirming the ideological hostility of the Tehran regime with the traditional slogans "Death to Israel" and "Death to America."