The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, November 3, 2025. BUREAU DU LEADER SUPRÊME VIA REUTERS
With a swollen face, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a call to attention. In a roughly 20-minute message broadcast on Iranian state television on Thursday, November 27, the 86-year-old leader asserted that the US government was “not worthy” of contact or cooperation with Tehran. “Such a government does not deserve for a state like the Islamic Republic to seek to establish a relationship or cooperate with it,” declared the supreme leader, who holds the final say over Iran’s diplomatic and political direction. The 86-year-old, who had not appeared in public since November 3, aimed to put an end to what he called “false” rumors related to a recent letter from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
On the eve of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (often known as “MBS”) trip to Washington, a message from the Iranian president was delivered on November 17 to the Saudi interior minister. Several Iranian media outlets claimed that the letter was intended for US President Donald Trump, seeking the resumption of talks over Iran’s nuclear program, and that the crown prince might serve as its messenger. “We have complete confidence in Saudi Arabia” to serve as an intermediary with Washington, stated Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on November 26, speaking on France 24 after a meeting with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, in Paris.
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