Iran Firmly Rejects Trump's Overture to Meet Mojtaba Khamenei
US President Donald Trump has opened the possibility of meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected the possibility.
As reported by AFP on Friday (5/6/2026), Trump told the New York Post: “Yes, I want to meet him,” when asked about the possibility of a meeting, adding that “we might meet someday, depending on how everything goes.”
However, Iran’s top diplomat dismissed the likelihood during an interview with Lebanese media aired on Thursday night, stating that such a meeting is not realistic.
“I saw a report that seems to say that he (Trump) has stated that he is ready to meet or that he wants to hold a meeting,” Araghchi told Al Mayadeen television.
“I think we must be realistic and think and live in the real world,” he continued.
During the interview, Araghchi mentioned that during the attack that killed Ali Khamenei, he was within the leader’s office where his father passed away, but in another wing of the building, and thus remained uninjured.
The attack prompted Iran to retaliate with missile and drone strikes against Israel and US allies in the Gulf region.
Araghchi also stated that the new Supreme Leader possesses a “very close and effective presence in state affairs and has full control.”
He noted that Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence from the public eye since his appointment is “due to security considerations” surrounding the war, which has been on a fragile ceasefire since 8 April.
Trump’s Statement
Previously, Donald Trump stated that he might meet Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, if an agreement is reached between the two countries. Trump even mentioned that he would feel “honoured” to meet Mojtaba.
“I do not want to meet, but if I do meet, I would feel honoured to meet him,” Trump said when asked by reporters about the possibility of meeting the Iranian Supreme Leader, as reported by Anadolu Agency on Friday (5/6).
“I want to see if we reach a deal, but if we have reached a deal, there is a possibility that I will meet him,” the US President remarked during an interview with reporters on Thursday (4/6) local time.