Atwan's Claim: Negotiations were a deception to assassinate Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei

While Iran has recently concluded the lengthy funeral and burial ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, new reports reveal the behind-the-scenes security tensions between Tehran and Washington. Abdel Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of the Rai al-Youm newspaper, revealed in his new analysis that negotiation proposals from the Donald Trump administration had no goal other than deceiving the Iranian security apparatus and physically eliminating his successor [1].

Diplomatic Deception in the Shadow of Doha Negotiations According to Atwan, the United States, using the mediation of some regional countries, tried to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. He believes that Trump, by offering empty promises and trying to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough before the World Cup, intended to create an atmosphere of false optimism [2]. However, the main goal of these movements was to track the exact location of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and carry out an assassination operation against him. Atwan emphasizes that "Trump is too cowardly to enter a direct war, so he seeks targeted assassinations under the guise of diplomacy" [1].

Why Did Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei Not Appear in Public? These claims align with the events of recent weeks. During the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which took place from July 3 to 9, 2026, the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei was completely evident. Security reports indicate that Iranian protection agencies did not allow his presence in public ceremonies due to serious warnings about the possibility of a drone attack or Mossad assassination team operations [4]. Also, some sources have pointed to his injuries in an attack last February, which caused him to be stationed in bomb-proof shelters under strict medical and security measures [5].

Tehran's New Doctrine; Moving from Defensive to Offensive Deterrence In another part of his analysis, Atwan refers to the change in Iran's military strategy. He believes that Tehran, after realizing the American deception in the negotiations, has moved out of the "defensive deterrence" phase and entered the "offensive deterrence" stage [3]. The recent statement by the new Iranian leader, emphasizing harsh revenge and targeting enemy interests worldwide, indicates this change in approach. Atwan warns that targets such as the ports of Haifa and Jebel Ali may be in Iran's next target bank [3].

Strategic Failure of Washington and Tel Aviv Finally, this famous analyst emphasizes that Iran was not only not deceived by the negotiations but also showed its power by intelligently managing the funeral and maintaining the power structure. He noted that the presence of millions of people and international delegations in Tehran was a clear message to Trump and Netanyahu that their dreams of collapsing the Iranian system from within have once again reached a dead end [2][6].