US President Donald John Trump could meet Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader of Iran, soon. He hinted at direct talks with Mojtaba while speaking at a press conference at the White House a couple of days ago. At the same time, the President claimed that the US would emerge victorious, by any means necessary, in the conflict with the Islamic Republic, stressing that he was determined to secure a victory for his country through military assistance or diplomacy.

The US President confirmed his openness to meeting the new Supreme Leader, stating that he would be honoured to do so if the two nations could finalise a deal to end the ongoing (US-Iran) conflict. “I don’t want to meet, but if I did meet, I’d be honoured to meet him. If we make a deal, it’s possible that I would meet. I’d be okay with that,” stressed Trump.

The US leader noted that despite American and Israeli forces targeting several of his family members, he would expect Mojtaba to be “professional“, saying: “We killed his father, his wife and his son, so I’m probably not his favourite person… (But) in some circles, he has a very good reputation, actually.” Trump added: “Some people say bad, but a lot of people say bad about me. It’s totally false, of course.” Asked where his possible meeting with the Iranian leader could take place, the President stated: “I haven’t really heard too much about it. I didn’t suggest it, but some people have suggested it.“

Joint forces from the US and Israel launched a massive aerial bombing campaign across Iran on February 28, 2026. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei was killed in a targeted strike on his compound in Tehran during that operation. Iran, too, launched retaliatory strikes targeting US bases in West Asia. Although efforts are underway to formalise agreements and understandings between the two countries, the US and Iran are yet to accept each other’s peace proposals. While Washington DC is pushing for strict constraints on Iran’s nuclear programme and control of the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran demands sanctions relief and an end to regional military operations.

Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei, the senior military adviser to the Supreme Leader, has ruled out a Trump-Mojtaba meeting, saying that there is no such possibility in the near future. Talking to CNN, the prominent hardliner and former Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated: “This will not happen, right now we are in the first stage of negotiations and Mr Trump has brought the negotiations to a standstill. This will not happen.“

Rezaei made it clear that a potential peace deal between the US and Iran would depend on the Trump Administration agreeing to release USD 24 billion in frozen Iranian assets. He added: “The negotiations are at a deadlock and (US President Donald) Trump must break this deadlock. The ball is in Trump’s court.“

Rezaei, who fought in the Iran-Iraq War and went on to lead the force from 1981 to 1997, claimed that releasing the funds would signal a new phase in relations between Washington DC and Tehran, stressing: “If he (Trump) wants to reach an agreement with Iran, this USD 24 billion is a test of trust that Iran wants to have with Trump – this is a test that America must pass and the path will be opened. This is our own money, not America’s money.“

Rezaei warned against any return to military confrontation, telling CNN that the Islamic Republic would expand the scope of its response, if attacked again. “We will give another dimension to the war by attacking these other US bases that we have been attacking so far,” he said. The senior Iranian official believes that any future conflict could spread beyond the Persian Gulf and potentially affect strategic waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

A ceasefire is currently in effect between the US and Iran. Trump has stated that if US troops are killed in West Asia, the US will launch military operations again. It may be noted that Mojtaba became the Supreme Leader following the demise of his father Ali Khamenei. However, he has not yet been seen in public. There is even speculation about whether he is alive. Reports claimed that Mojtaba was wounded in the exact same joint US-Israeli strikes that eliminated his father. However, sources close to his inner circle hinted that he suffered severe facial disfigurement, trauma to the legs and a fractured foot.

Although Iranian officials maintain a highly controlled and secretive narrative regarding Mojtaba’s health, US officials and intelligence assessments report suggest that he is alive and bedridden in critical condition. As per US intelligence reports, the Supreme Leader continues to direct decisions from a highly secure location via audio conferencing.

Meanwhile,

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das