Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is hidden in a secret location with little access to the outside world, US officials disclosed to CBS on Sunday.
According to US intelligence, Khamenei is only reachable through a "labyrinth" of couriers, causing difficulties and delays during the ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran, the officials said.
Even the highest officials in the Iranian government are unaware of his location and are not able to directly contact him.
"This is why you see people saying things like, 'The supreme leader has agreed to the framework,' or 'We're waiting to hear back on the final deal points.' Every piece of information he receives is dated, and there's a lot of latency to his responses," one official said.
Most Iranian leaders holed up in bunkers
The sources added that the majority of Iranian leaders spend weeks at a time inside fortified bunkers in attempts to avoid being taken out by Israeli and US strikes.
"Watching them try to figure out how to talk to each other is almost like watching a sitcom. They are completely exasperated," one official said.
Shortly after his ascension in early March, Khamenei was reported by Iranian state media as having been wounded during Israeli-US airstrikes on Tehran amid operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury.
A person familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post at the time that Khamenei remained capable of carrying out his duties and managing state affairs.
By mid-April, three people close to his inner circle were telling Reuters that Khamenei was still recovering from severe facial and leg injuries that he suffered in the February 28 airstrike that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
However, the sources pointed out that Khamenei remained "mentally sharp" and continued to participate in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing.