Senior Iranian officials who meet Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are taken to his location blindfolded to prevent disclosure of his whereabouts, the opposition outlet Iran International reported Wednesday.
Citing a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the London-based Persian-language channel said even Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and reportedly appointed by Khamenei as a de facto manager of state affairs, was blindfolded when taken to meet the supreme leader before traveling to Oman for talks with the United States.
1 View gallery
(Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS)
The report could not be independently verified.
According to Iran International, Khamenei is staying in a specially secured underground bunker complex in Tehran made up of tunnels, amid assessments by Iranian military and security officials of a possible U.S. attack.
The report comes as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate ahead of another round of nuclear negotiations scheduled for Thursday in Geneva.
Earlier Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Iran has accelerated oil exports in recent days, a move analysts say could signal preparations for potential military action.
Citing data from energy analytics firm Kpler, Bloomberg said about 20 million barrels of oil were loaded from Iran’s Kharg Island terminal between Feb. 15 and Feb. 20 — nearly triple the volume shipped during the same period in January. That amounts to more than 3 million barrels per day, well above Tehran’s typical export rate.
Satellite imagery reviewed by Bloomberg showed the number of oil tankers waiting southeast of Kharg Island more than doubled during that period, from eight to 18 vessels. A partial satellite image from Feb. 22 showed nine tankers still in the area.
Amid the heightened tensions, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Fox News that President Donald Trump still prefers a diplomatic solution with Iran.
“He has been as clear as he can be: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. He will try to achieve that diplomatically,” Vance said, adding that he hopes Iranian officials take that position seriously in Thursday’s talks.