Trump Moves High-Stakes Meeting Back to White House

Votel praised CENTCOM’s swift response as an “effective use of military force,” while noting that both military and diplomatic efforts will likely be needed moving forward.

The comments came after CENTCOM said U.S. forces carried out “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran on Monday, targeting missile launch sites and two Iranian boats allegedly laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, as a “designated target” would have to stay in hiding, and any final arrangement with the U.S. would have to be approved via secret courier networks, counterterrorism experts warned Tuesday.

The unusual structure, they said, implies Washington is negotiating a high-stakes deal with a wholly invisible counterparty, with a prospective memorandum signed by a regime leader and a “designated target” who can never publicly show his face.