Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, is hiding in an undisclosed location and communicating exclusively through a network of couriers.

According to CBS, U.S. officials stated that many leaders of the Islamic Republic have remained in fortified bunkers for weeks and are avoiding even direct contact with one another. One U.S. official also told the network that even high-ranking Islamic Republic officials are unaware of the Supreme Leader’s exact whereabouts, and messages are transmitted only via intermediaries and special couriers, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iranwire.

Based on this report, informed sources within the U.S. government said that Iranian officials authorized to negotiate with the administration of Donald Trump are facing immense difficulties in communicating with the Islamic Republic’s leadership structure. This issue has reportedly caused delays in Iran’s responses regarding the details of a potential agreement with the United States.

Two U.S. officials told CBS that each time Washington transmits fresh proposals to Tehran, receiving a final response is plagued by lengthy delays due to the difficulty of accessing the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.

A senior U.S. administration official told the network on Sunday, “The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has agreed to the general framework of the current draft agreement.” Consequently, Trump also wrote on the social media platform Truth Social that he expects Iran’s final response to be announced within the coming days.

The report adds that Mojtaba Khamenei, who, according to U.S. sources, was wounded during U.S. and Israeli strikes in Operation “Epic Fury,” has implemented sweeping security protocols to evade similar attacks following the death of Ali Khamenei.