Trump-Erdogan attempt for US-Iran meeting fails, Khamenei's absence does not give the green light

A behind-the-scenes initiative by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for direct contact between American and Iranian officials in Istanbul failed at the last minute, after Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was unable to give the necessary approval.

A behind-the-scenes initiative by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for direct contact between American and Iranian officials in Istanbul fell through at the last minute, after Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was unable to give the necessary approval, according to Axios.

According to three US officials and a source with direct knowledge of the matter cited by the US website, the meeting was planned to take place in Istanbul this week, at the initiative of Erdogan. The Turkish president contacted Donald Trump on Monday, while he was in Canada with G7 leaders, and suggested that he organize a meeting between the Americans and Iranians the following day.

Trump agreed and said he was ready to send Vice President Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff and even travel to Turkey himself to meet with Iranian President Masoud Peskov if that were necessary to reach a deal.

In fact, according to Axios, hours before Erdogan's call, the White House had received a "signal" from the Iranians through covert channels that they wanted a meeting.

The Turkish side, through Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, conveyed the proposal to Tehran. Peskov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tried to contact Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for approval. However, Khamenei, who is in hiding for fear of assassination by Israel, was nowhere to be found.

After a few hours, the Iranians informed the Turks that they had failed to secure the necessary approval. Ankara relayed the development to the US, and the meeting was canceled.

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