DONALD Trump has been negotiating the future of Iran with the crumbling regime’s “leader” as the maimed Ayatollah remains missing.
The US president earlier “very good and productive conversations” with Tehran.
Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is reportedly negotiating with the USCredit: Alamy
Donald Trump called off a major blitz of Iran’s energy networkCredit: Getty
Trump described the negotiator as ‘the most respected as Iran’s leader’Credit: REUTERS
Trump told reporters he is in contact with an individual in Iran who he described as “the most respected as the leader” of Iran.
He made clear that the negotiator was not the current Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.
“No-one has heard from him, every once in a while we see a statement made but we don’t know if he’s living”, Trump said of .
Mojtaba was put in charge by the in an airstrike.
But Israeli officials said the individual engaging with the US is Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reports.
A former commander of the bloodthirsty Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air force, Ghalibaf is an established figure of the regime.
He was one of the key security figures involved in the crackdown of student protests in July 1999, and has run for president four times since 2005.
Ghalibaf is expected to meet US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the capital of Pakistan as early as the end of this week.
Trump said on Monday he would delay strikes on key Iranian energy infrastructure just as his 48-hour .
He announced that Tehran wants to make a deal, and this could happen within five days or sooner.
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Since last night’s talks, the US president has floated the idea that he could control the Strait of Hormuz “jointly” with the Iranian regime.
Tehran’s stranglehold on the crucial shipping route has sent oil and prices soaring while crashing stock markets around the world.
, sparking fears of a worldwide recession.
The US leader said the strait could be open “real soon” if and Tehran reach a deal.
Asked about who would oversee the strait, he said: “Maybe me, maybe me.”
But, Ghalibaf has branded reports of talks between the US and Iran as “fake news”.
In a post on what appears to be his X account on Monday, he said: “No negotiations have been held with the US, and fakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.”
He said Iran demands the “complete and remorseful punishment of the aggressors”.
Seemingly referring to Mojtaba, he added: “All Iranian officials stand firmly behind their supreme leader and people until this goal is achieved”.
In his first statement issued since taking over the rogue state, Mojtaba pledged “we will be victorious” and vowed to “avenge the blood of Iranian” martyrs.
Sources revealed the 56-year-old son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lost at least one leg and has also suffered serious stomach or liver damage.
His first public statement was read out by a female presenter of state TV.
The statement also vowed to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway shut to vessels supplying Iran’s western enemies and promised revenge.
Despite Trump’s declaration that he would postpone attacks on energy facilities, Israel announced a fresh wave of strikes in Tehran on Monday.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen since taking controlCredit: Getty Images
Israel announced a fresh wave of strikes in Tehran on MondayCredit: UGC/AFP via Getty Images
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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