Washington DC:US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) said that he would like to meet Iran's Supreme LeaderMojtaba Khameneiif diplomatic efforts head towards a positive direction. Trump made these remarks during an interview with the New York Post.

When asked about meeting Khamenei, the US president said, " I've never thought of it, actually. It's a very good question. I'll think of it. Yeah, I'd like to meet him. I'd like to meet everybody. I'd like to meet him. We probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out."

Trump On Decision-Making Authority In Iran:

During the interview, the US President acknowledged that Mojtaba Khamenei is taking decisions in Iran. "Well, they say he (Mojtaba Khamenei) is giving approval because that's the way it has been for a long, long time. His father and then him, I guess it's a succession. But we seem to be getting along quite well."

Notably, Mojataba became Iran's Supreme Leader after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in the US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28. Mojtaba was also reportedly injured in the attack.Iran US Israel War Live Updates

Ali Khamenei ruled Iran for almost 37 years. Since the US and Isarel launched an offensive on Iran, Mojtaba has not made any public appearance. However, on several occasions, his messages threatening the US were aired on Iranian channels.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said that Iran's Supreme Leader is alive. Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Khamenei is becoming active. "I think there are indications out there that he is increasingly engaging at some level," the US Secretary of State said.

Last month, US intelligence had claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei was living in seclusion at an undisclosed location with severely limited contact with the outside world, according to US officials familiar with the matter quoted by CBS News.

Confusion over the ongoing peace deal negotiations betweenWashingtonand Iran deepened. Within the space of about an hour, Trump said on Monday that he did not care if negotiations with Iran had ended, before later insisting that discussions were continuing "at a rapid pace". Iran, however, has not signalled any shift in its stance since suspending talks in protest at Israel's military operations in Lebanon.

Trump, while speaking to CNBC on Monday, said that he did not care about the talks. "I really don't care. I couldn't care less," he said when asked about reports that Iran had suspended talks. He also described the negotiations as "very boring".

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