In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump had directly threatened the Iranian Supreme Leader, saying he knew "where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding."

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran last week, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis,

Aerial attacks between Israel and Iran continued overnight into Wednesday, marking a sixth day of strikes following Israel's Friday attack. That surprise operation hit at the heart of Iran's nuclear program, striking key facilities and killing several nuclear scientists as well as high-ranking military leaders, according to Israeli officials.