How the US and Iran Are Secretly Passing Messages

Washington and Tehran rely on a complex courier-based messaging system to protect the location of Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Unreliable internet during wartime has made the process even harder sometimes messages take up to 48 hours just to arrive.

A Secret Diplomatic Pipeline

The United States and Iran are not talking to each other the way most countries do. Instead, messages between Washington and Tehran travel through a slow, winding chain one that involves couriers, middlemen, and patchy internet connections. The reason? Keeping Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s location completely hidden.

According to US officials, analysts, and insiders, American negotiators send their proposals through roundabout diplomatic routes. Iranian couriers then carry those messages deliberately to shield Khamenei from being tracked or targeted.

Couriers, Pakistan, and 48-Hour WhatsApp Delays

The process barely resembles normal diplomacy. “Proposals from American negotiators travel through indirect diplomatic channels often involving couriers on the Iranian side to conceal the location of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei,” insiders say.

Before couriers even get involved, Washington’s messages first pass through Pakistani officials. Those officials then relay them to Tehran by phone or in person. The entire back-and-forth can drag on for days.

Making things worse, Iran’s internet has been badly disrupted since the war began. “Unstable internet connectivity during the conflict complicated matters sometimes WhatsApp message deliveries took up to 48 hours,” insiders noted. Even a senior Trump administration official admitted if the US agreed to every Iranian demand today, signing a deal would still take five days.

A Ceasefire That Holds Barely

The US and Israel launched strikes on Iranian territory on February 28, killing more than 3,000 people. By April 8, Washington and Tehran announced a ceasefire one that technically remains in place. But it is fragile. Both sides have continued exchanging sporadic strikes even as negotiations continue.

The two countries are now trying to work toward a framework memorandum of understanding. But the pace of progress has frustrated multiple parties watching from the sidelines.

Wittkoff’s Direct Line and UAE’s Frustration

There is at least one direct channel. US presidential envoy Steve Wittkoff maintains a personal line of communication with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. American officials have frequently used this channel.

But even that has not been enough to speed things up. The UAE watching negotiations crawl decided to hold the first in-person meeting with Iranian officials since the conflict began. UAE and Iranian national security officials met this week specifically to reduce tensions between the two sides.

Iran Cuts Internet, Then Slowly Restores It

After the US-Israeli strikes and a series of targeted operations against Iranian leadership, Tehran restricted access to foreign websites and messaging apps for security reasons. However, by Tuesday, international internet access had partially returned to the capital.