Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, lost contact with his military chain of command during the exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran, Iran International reported Monday.
A source familiar with the developments told the opposition-linked network that missile fire toward Israel was most likely carried out under pre-established military protocols, without coordination with the office of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The source added that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' response to the Israeli strike on southern Beirut suburbs appeared too swift to have followed any exchange of messages with Mojtaba Khamenei.
Separately, a senior Iranian military official told the Tasnim network that Iran is prepared for a prolonged war with Israel and for strikes against American interests in the region. The official noted that the necessary preparations had been made.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference that Israeli strikes on Beirut and on Iran had been fully coordinated with the US. "No one believes this was carried out without coordination," he said. "The developments over the past 24 hours are intensifying the existing disruption to the diplomatic track."
On the implications for contacts through Pakistani mediation, Baghaei said, "The tensions will certainly lead to greater suspicion and deeper mistrust. The exchange of messages with the American side has already been conducted in an atmosphere of profound distrust."
The Iranian spokesman also noted, "It is clear that Israeli military actions in the region cannot be separated from American policy. The disruption to the diplomatic track stems from the Americans' contradictory positions, alongside confusing conduct and statements."
