Iran's Khamenei stays away from talks as JD Vance says dynamic makes diplomacy 'much more complicated'

As indirect talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran started connected Friday successful Oman, remarks from Vice President JD Vance earlier successful the week questioning the lack of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei from talks person raised a halfway dilemma for Washington — the idiosyncratic with eventual authorization successful Tehran is not sitting astatine the negotiating table.

In the interview, Vance said, "It’s a precise weird state to behaviour diplomacy with, erstwhile you can't adjacent speech to the idiosyncratic who's successful complaint of the country. That makes each of this overmuch much complicated… It is bizarre that we can't conscionable speech to the existent enactment of the country. It truly makes diplomacy very, precise difficult," helium said connected Megyn Kelly's podcast.

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Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves to the assemblage during a code successful Tehran, Iran, connected Nov. 3, 2025. During his code marking the day of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy successful Tehran, known arsenic the 'National Day of Fight against Global Arrogance,' Khamenei stated that practice betwixt Tehran and Washington is intolerable arsenic agelong arsenic the U.S. continues to enactment Israel and support subject bases successful the region.  ( Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Supreme Leader has nary equals

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has served arsenic Iran’s ultimate person since 1989 and remains the country’s highest governmental and spiritual authority, with eventual power implicit military, information and strategical decisions. That attraction of powerfulness means immoderate diplomatic result indispensable yet walk done him.

Sina Azodi, the manager of the Middle East Studies Program astatine George Washington University, told Fox News Digital that Khamenei’s authorization stems from nonstop power implicit Iran’s halfway powerfulness centers. "He is precise almighty due to the fact that helium is the commandant successful main of the equipped forces and appoints the heads of the IRGC, the Artesh (conventional military), the judiciary and different important institutions."

Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei makes archetypal nationalist quality successful weeks with caller U.S. threats. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader Credit/Associated Press)

Azodi added that protocol and hierarchy besides explicate Khamenei’s lack from negotiations. "Iranians are precise adamant astir diplomatic protocols — that since different countries don’t person the equivalent rank, helium does not enactment successful immoderate negotiations due to the fact that his ‘equal’ fertile does not exist," Azodi said. "Even erstwhile overseas heads of authorities sojourn him, determination is lone the Iranian flag, and overseas flags are not allowed."

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi, President Donald Trump's Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner conscionable up of the U.S.-Iran talks, successful Muscat, the superior of Oman, connected Feb. 06, 2026.  (Oman Foreign Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Iranian sources acquainted with interior discussions described Khamenei arsenic operating from a bequest mindset astatine this signifier of his life. "The ultimate person sees the confrontation with Washington arsenic defining his humanities relation and believes Iran tin retaliate against U.S. interests successful the region. Khamenei is not focused connected idiosyncratic hazard and views strategical confrontation arsenic portion of preserving his legacy," a Middle Eastern root speaking connected the information of anonymity told Fox News Digital.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a elder chap astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Khamenei remains the decisive fig successful Iran’s strategy adjacent arsenic the authorities faces unit astatine location and abroad.

"He wields large power successful Iran but besides exercises the top veto successful Iran’s governmental hierarchy"

"He wields large power successful Iran but besides exercises the top veto successful Iran’s governmental hierarchy," Ben Taleblu said.

He added, "The Iranian strategy… is to rise the outgo of warfare successful the reasoning of the adversary," helium said, describing a strategy that signals willingness to speech portion simultaneously preparing for confrontation.

He warned that "regimes that are acrophobic and lethal and anemic tin inactive beryllium dangerous," and said Tehran whitethorn judge threatening U.S. assets could deter a broader warfare adjacent if specified escalation risks triggering a stronger American response.

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In this representation released by an authoritative website of the bureau of the Iranian ultimate leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stands arsenic service aerial unit force salute astatine the commencement of their gathering successful Tehran, Iran, Friday, Feb. 8, 2019. Khamenei is defending "Death to America" chants that are modular fare astatine anti-U.S. rallies crossed Iran but says the chanting is aimed astatine America's leaders and not its people.  (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

"Very hard to accidental what Khamenei’s mindset is, but I deliberation that he, on with different elder officials, deliberation that the existent struggle is not an isolated improvement but alternatively the continuation of the June 2025 struggle and the caller protests, which helium called ‘an American coup,’" Azodi told Fox News Digital.

"I deliberation that helium thinks that the U.S. is decidedly aft a authorities alteration and that needs to beryllium resisted astatine each costs," helium added.

Inside Iran, vexation with Khamenei has go progressively visible, according to a writer reporting from wrong the country.

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Cars pain successful a thoroughfare during a protestation implicit the illness of the currency’s worth successful Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. (Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)

"What radical privation much than thing other is for Khamenei to die… I perceive it each day, everyplace I spell — wherefore doesn’t helium die?" the writer told Fox News Digital.

"He is perceived arsenic God’s representative, portion leaders of force states are viewed arsenic representatives of Satan, which is wherefore helium ne'er meets with them."

"You conscionable unfastened the Twitter of Iranians… the tweet is, wherefore don’t you die? And everybody knows who we are talking about. So a federation is waiting for him to die."

The writer said galore Iranians nary longer judge governmental betterment is imaginable and alternatively spot generational alteration arsenic the lone turning point.

Iranian worshipers clasp up their hands arsenic signs of unity with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israel's attacks connected Iran, successful downtown Tehran, Iran, connected June 20, 2025.  (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Iranian writer successful exile, Mehdi Ghadimi, told Fox News Digital that, "The Islamic authorities considers itself obligated to enforce Islamic instrumentality crossed the full world. They harbor hatred toward Iranians and Jews, whom they respect arsenic enemies of Islam," helium explained, "In specified a structure, the person is seen arsenic much than a governmental ruler; helium is perceived arsenic God’s representative, portion leaders of force states are viewed arsenic representatives of Satan, which is wherefore helium ne'er meets with them. If dialog oregon compromise were to instrumentality place, his ineffable representation would illness successful the eyes of his supporters."

He continued, "For this reason, groups labeled arsenic ‘moderate,’ ‘reformist,’ oregon ‘pro-Western’ are created truthful that the West tin negociate with them," Ghadimi added. "No 1 wrong the operation of the Islamic Republic thinks astir thing different than defeating the Western satellite and establishing Islamic dominance globally. The diplomats presented to Western politicians arsenic moderates are tasked with utilizing diplomacy to bargain clip for Khamenei."

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The negotiations travel amid heightened determination tensions, U.S. subject deployments and unresolved disputes implicit Iran’s atomic programme and rocket capabilities.

Regional analysts accidental that for the U.S., the cardinal situation remains unchanged. Diplomats tin negotiate, but the last determination rests with 1 antheral — a person shaped by decades of confrontation with the United States, focused connected authorities endurance and determined to sphere his bequest adjacent arsenic Iran enters a caller circular of talks.