Ali Khamenei

This combo of pictures show President Donald Trump, left, addressing a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025, and a handout of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attending a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis - Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

What to know about tensions between Iran and the US as Trump sends a letter to its supreme leader

A letter U.S. President Donald Trump wrote to Iran’s supreme leader in an attempt to jump-start talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program has arrived in the Iranian capital.
 
In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with students, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

An Emirati diplomat identified as having a letter from Trump meets with Iran’s foreign minister

 
President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Washington. (Pool via AP)

The Latest: Education Department guts its civil rights office

 
Chinese navy troops attending a joint naval drill with Iran and Russia stand on the deck of their warship in an official arrival ceremony at Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

China, Iran and Russia hold joint naval drills in Mideast as tensions rise between Tehran and US

 
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a ceremony meeting a group of officials, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s top leader rejects talks with the US over missile range, regional influence

 

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Iran’s supreme leader receives Trump letter offering nuclear talks, AP explains

A letter U.S. President Donald Trump wrote to Iran’s supreme leader in an attempt to jump-start talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program has arrived in the Iranian capital. While the text of the letter hasn’t been published, its arrival comes as Trump levied new sanctions on Iran as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign targeting the country.
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Khamenei calls Trump letter ‘attempt to deceive global public opinion’

Trump expects results ‘very soon’ after writing to Iran’s leader about his country’s nuclear program

Iran supreme leader criticizes proposed nuclear talks with US, upending push to negotiation

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In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaks in a meeting with a group of defense officials, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Trump wrote to Iran’s leader about that country’s nuclear program and expects results ‘very soon’

 
White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks speaks with reporters at the White House, Friday, March 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Latest: Trump administration rejects the UN’s 2030 sustainability goals

 
FILE — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a conference in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Iranian government official who was key to 2015 nuclear deal tenders resignation under pressure

 

State media in Iran say Khamenei pardons journalists who reported woman’s death, sparking protests

 
Iranian demonstrators burn a representation of the U.S. flag during a rally commemorating anniversary of 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the late pro-U.S. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and brought Islamic clerics to power, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

With Trump in the White House, Iranians mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution

 
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei salutes in a meeting with a group of air force officers in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran supreme leader criticizes proposed nuclear talks with US, upending push to negotiation

 
This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)

Gunman shoots dead 2 judges in Iran’s capital tied to 1988 mass executions

 
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrives to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (Valeriy Sharifulin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia and Iran have a troubled history despite their current alliance

 
Hanaa, center, and her mother Khawla, left, who are searching for any information about her brother Hussam al-Khodr, look at photos of people reported to be missing by members of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad's army, or a pro-government militia, in the Marjeh square in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. According to Hanaa, her brother was a soldier and went missing in 2014. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Prominent Lebanese figure meets Syrian insurgent who led Assad’s ouster, seeking better relations

 
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd during a meeting with school and university students, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s supreme leader threatens Israel and US with ‘a crushing response’ over Israeli attack

 
In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, second right, Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, right, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, second left, and President Masoud Pezeshkian read Quran in a ceremony commemorating slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, at Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iranian supreme leader praises missile attack on Israel, saying Iran will do it again if necessary

 
In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with the President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. Iran's supreme leader opened the door Tuesday to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country's rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was "no barrier" to engaging with its "enemy." (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s supreme leader opens door to negotiations with US over Tehran’s nuclear program

 
In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks after receiving official seal of approval of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an endorsement ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Khamenei urged Pezeshkian to prioritize neighbors, African and Asian nations as well as countries that have "supported and helped" Iran in Tehran's foreign relations policies. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s supreme leader endorses reformist Pezeshkian as new president. He takes oath Tuesday

 
FILE - French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a "national tribute" ceremony to late French politician and admiral, Philippe de Gaulle, son of General de Gaulle, in Paris, Wednesday, March 20, 2024. French President Emmanual Macron refused the resignation Monday July 8, 2024 of the country's prime minister, asking him on Monday to remain temporarily as the head of the government after chaotic election results left the government in limbo. ( Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP, File)

Elections in Europe, Iran show authoritarian march may have slowed, not halted

 
Reformist candidate for the Iran's presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian clenches his fists during a campaign rally in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon who rose to power in parliament, now Iran’s president-elect

 
Reformist candidate for the Iran's presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian clenches his fist after casting his vote as he is accompanied by former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, left, at a polling station in Shahr-e-Qods near Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 5, 2024. Iranians are voting in a runoff election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a May helicopter crash in the country’s northwest along with the foreign minister and several other officials. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Reformist Pezeshkian beats hard-liner to win Iran presidential election, promising outreach to West

 
Candidate for the Iran's presidential election Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator, shakes hand with a supporter after casting his vote for the presidential runoff election in Qarchak near Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 5, 2024. Iran was holding a runoff presidential election Friday pitting a hard-line former nuclear negotiator against a reformist lawmaker, though both men earlier struggled to convince a skeptical public to cast ballots in the first round that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic's history. (AP Photo)

Iran holds runoff presidential vote pitting hard-liner against reformist after record low turnout

 
Reformist candidate for the Iran's presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian clenches his fists during a campaign rally in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon who rose to power in parliament, runs to be Iran’s next president

 
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gestures in a ceremony to mark the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Khamenei called Tuesday for "maximum" voter turnout in this week's presidential election to "overcome the enemy," denouncing politicians who he described as believing that everything good comes from the United States. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s supreme leader warns sole reformist in presidential race, while calling for ‘maximum’ turnout

 
Iran's hard-line parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf sits while registering his name as a candidate for the June 28 presidential election at the Interior Ministry, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 3, 2024. Iran's Guardian Council on Sunday, June, 9, approved the country's hard-line parliament speaker and five others to run in the country's presidential election following a helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran OKs 6 candidates for presidential race, but again blocks Ahmadinejad

 
Iran's hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waves to the media as he leaves at the conclusion of a press briefing beside portraits of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, top right, and the late President Ebrahim Raisi after registering his name as a candidate for the June 28 presidential election at the Interior Ministry, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 2, 2024. Ahmadinejad registered Sunday as a possible candidate for the presidential election, seeking to regain the country's top political position after a helicopter crash killed the nation's president. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registers for June 28 presidential election

 
FILE - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks with media members after he voted for the parliamentary runoff elections, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

What’s next for Iran’s government after death of its president in helicopter crash? Cache

 
People hold up posters of President Ebrahim Raisi during a mourning ceremony for him at Vali-e-Asr square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, May 20, 2024. Iranian President Raisi and the country's foreign minister were found dead Monday hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast

 
People pray for President Ebrahim Raisi in a ceremony at Vali-e-Asr square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 19, 2024. A helicopter carrying President Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s hard-line president still missing after likely helicopter crash in foggy, mountainous region

 
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in his meeting with a group of senior military leaders, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, April 21, 2024. Iran's supreme leader on Sunday dismissed any discussion of whether Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel hit anything there, a tacit acknowledgment that despite launching a massive assault, few projectiles actually made through to their targets. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s supreme leader tacitly acknowledges that Tehran hit little in its attack on Israel

 
A woman walks past an anti-Israeli banner on a building at the Felestin (Palestine) Square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, April 14, 2024. Israel on Sunday hailed its air defenses in the face of an unprecedented attack by Iran, saying the systems thwarted 99% of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched toward its territory. The sign in Hebrew reads: "Your next mistake will be the end of your fake country." The sign in Farsi reads: "The next slap will be harder." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Analysis: Iran upends decades of shadow warfare in direct attack on Israel as tensions mount at home

 
A woman casts her ballot during the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections at a polling station in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 1, 2024. Iran held the country's first election since the mass 2022 protests over mandatory hijab laws after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, with questions looming over just how many people will turn out at the polls. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian parliament vote, first since 2022 mass protests, sees a low turnout despite government push

 
In this photo released by the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei salutes during a meeting with army's air force and air defense staff, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Meta removes Instagram and Facebook accounts for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

 
A woman holds up a poster of the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, during a commemoration for him at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Two bombs exploded Wednesday at a commemoration for a prominent Iranian general slain by the U.S. in a 2020 drone strike, Iranian officials said, as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Bombings hit event for Iran’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a shadowy figure slain in 2020 US drone strike

 
ADDS SOURCE - Injured people get aid after an explosion in Kerman, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Iran says the deadly twin bomb blasts occurred at an event honoring a prominent Iranian general slain in a U.S. airstrike in 2020. (Mahdi Karbakhsh Ravari/Mehr News Agnecy via AP)

Iran says at least 84 were killed in blasts at a ceremony honoring slain general

 
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