Has the Supreme Leader Fled? Khamenei Missing from Revolution Rallies as Hiding Place Rumors Swirl
The Supreme Leader's unprecedented absence from the Islamic Revolution anniversary has sparked "hiding" rumors as flight data points to Mashhad. As Trump warns of another "Midnight Hammer" strike, Tehran’s top advisor declares Iran's missiles a "red line" that will never be negotiated.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei failed to appear at celebrations marking the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and didn't release a recorded address, prompting speculation he is in hiding over fears of an Israeli or American strike.
Iranian opposition sources published several possible locations for Khamenei's whereabouts in recent days, with assessments pointing to the city of Mashhad, according to reports.
The belief that Khamenei is in Mashhad is based on flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 showing that his senior adviser returned from Qatar and landed in Mashhad on Tuesday evening, according to the reports.
Mashhad is considered a holy city in Iran and is also Khamenei's birthplace, making it a likely hiding place, according to the prevailing assessment.
What reinforced the theory was that for the first time, Khamenei didn't attend the Islamic Revolution anniversary events at all. The celebrations take place in cities across Iran, and Khamenei chose not to participate and didn't even release a recorded speech to the public, as he has done on other occasions.
Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and considered a senior adviser to Khamenei, told the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Tehran's missile capabilities are not subject to negotiation and constitute a "red line."
"Negotiations have their own track and can bear fruit if conducted with realism and mutual respect," he said. The senior adviser also issued a warning to the White House: "If the United States attacks us, we will strike its military bases in the region."
Trump-Netanyahu Meeting
Following a three-hour meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump wrote: "Just finished meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu from Israel and his various representatives. It was a very good meeting, the wonderful relationship between our two countries continues."
Trump said no final agreement was reached "except for my insistence that negotiations with Iran continue to see if a deal can be achieved."
"If that happens," the president added, "I will make sure the prime minister knows this will be the preference. If it doesn't happen, we'll have to see what the outcome will be. The last time Iran decided it was better not to reach a deal, and it suffered midnight hammer—that didn't work out well for them. I hope this time they will be more logical and responsible."
The Prime Minister's Office said Netanyahu discussed negotiations with Iran, Gaza and regional developments in the White House meeting, and "the prime minister stood firm on Israel's security needs in the context of the negotiations, and the two agreed to continue coordination and close contact between them."