Iran Leader Update
Rubio Confirms Mojtaba Khamenei Alive, Active in Iran Leadership Amid Stalled Diplomacy and Hormuz Demands
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is alive and increasingly involved in decision-making despite not being seen publicly since taking over after Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28. Rubio said the United States believes Mojtaba—likely wounded in the same attacks—is working behind the scenes as diplomacy to end a more-than-three-month war remains stalled. He laid out conditions for progress, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz for all commercial shipping without tolls or threats, along with mine-removal steps by the sides. Rubio said the U.S. is not considering lifting sanctions in exchange for a full Hormuz reopening and that any relief would be conditional on Iran sharply limiting or ending enrichment and other nuclear activities. He also described Iran’s negotiations as complicated by a layered power structure in which public officials such as the foreign minister and parliament speaker must report to a governing council. The testimony came as broader U.S.-Iran talks and regional diplomacy face uncertainty while global energy markets remain strained by maritime risks.
Key Points
1
Rubio suggested Mojtaba Khamenei may be badly injured but remains alive, and argued that his lack of public appearances is likely deliberate: “being very public is probably not something that’s recommended for them internally.”
2
On Iran’s negotiating structure, Rubio said negotiators visible to the media must report back to a governing council that includes the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and he quoted the process: “What Araghchi and Ghalibaf take from us, they then have to run back to this council.”
3
Rubio gave more explicit wording for what Iran must announce for Hormuz reopening, including: “The straits are now open, we’re not charging a toll,” adding that the U.S. would “help remove the mines” and that Iran “will not fire on ships.”
4
Fox News reported Rubio tied the U.S. blockade of Iranian ships to Iran’s actions—specifically “firing on commercial vessels” and “mining international waters”—as part of the justification for conditions on shipping through Hormuz.
5
CBS News reported that Rubio expanded on how talks are being conducted, saying there were “indications” of Mojtaba’s involvement alongside discussion of “the communication methods being used to negotiate with Tehran.”
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