US Vice President JD Vance has questioned how decisions are being made inside Iran, saying Washington is unsure who ultimately has authority in Tehran as the two sides negotiate an end to their seven-month war.
Iran, however, has rejected such claims, maintaining that Mojtaba Khamenei formally remains the country’s Supreme Leader and continues to lead Iran amid US and Israeli attacks. However, he questioned how much authority the two officials actually have within Iran’s power structure. Earlier reports said he went into hiding after being critically injured in the February 28 attacks, but his current condition and whereabouts remain unclear.
In an exclusive interview with Reuters on Monday, Vance said Iran would need to make a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity to meet US demands and bring the conflict to an end. The remarks came after President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his “biggest problem” was that no one knows who is running Iran. The Vice President said the US is in talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and foreign minister Abbas Araqchi. Vance said Tehran must agree to a “meaningful” reduction in its nuclear enrichment capacity if it wants to satisfy Washington’s demands. “We’re certainly involved,” he said. “Ultimately, the president of the United States is driving things.”
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Sunday that US officials know who their Iranian counterparts are and understand how the country’s decision-making system works.
