Khaberni - Israeli and regional officials revealed that the Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had instructed his negotiators, for the first time since the war began, to move towards a deal with the United States on Monday.
The sources said that this development came at a time when Trump was publicly threatening total annihilation, while there were signs of diplomatic momentum behind the scenes, as US forces in the Middle East and Pentagon officials spent the last hours preparing for a massive bombing campaign on Iranian infrastructure, amid confusion about the president's intentions.
The sources mentioned that the US envoy, Steve Whitcouf, described the Iranian proposal consisting of ten points as a "disaster" at the beginning of Monday, leading to a "chaotic" day of amendments mediated by Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, before the mediators received American approval on an updated formula for a two-week ceasefire.
The involvement of the new Supreme Leader in the process was secretive and arduous, as he primarily communicated via "runners" delivering notes because of the Israeli threat to assassinate him, and two sources described his agreement to strike a deal as a "breakthrough".
By Tuesday noon, the parties had reached a general understanding of a two-week truce, before Pakistani Prime Minister Shahab Sharif announced the terms and called for acceptance, at a time when Trump was receiving calls from hawkish allies urging him to reject it.
Trump spoke with Netanyahu to secure his commitment to the ceasefire, then with Pakistani Marshal Asim Munir to finalize the deal, before Iran announced its commitment to the ceasefire and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz to coordinate with its armed forces.
The sources pointed out that Vice President JD Vance would lead the American delegation in the talks scheduled in Pakistan on Friday, in a mission considered the most important in his political career, amid significant gaps between the American and Iranian visions that could lead to a resumption of the war.
