For obvious reasons, in the ever-turbulent saga of U.S.-Iran relations, President Trump’s claim to have sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is the latest twist in a long-running drama. Trump’s announcement, made during a Fox Business interview, was characteristically brash.

“I wrote them a letter saying, I hope you are going to negotiate,” he said, adding that Iran could either “handle” the U.S. militarily or “make a deal.”

The president’s remarks were accompanied by his trademark mix of threats and vague promises, leaving observers to wonder whether this was a genuine diplomatic overture or merely another piece of political theater. Trump stated, "I wrote them a letter saying, I hope you are going to negotiate," before veering into an awkward gaffe — referring to "Khomeini" instead of Khamenei, mistakenly invoking the name of Iran’s long-deceased revolutionary founder.

Media reports claim that the letter had been "written" but not sent, while Iran’s government officials flatly denied having received any such correspondence. This episode underscores the performative nature of Trump’s diplomacy, where grand gestures often precede — or outright replace — substantive engagement.

This is not the first time a U.S. president has attempted direct outreach to Iran’s supreme leader. Barack Obama, in a more serious effort at diplomacy, sent two letters to Khamenei. Even Trump previously relied on intermediaries, such as former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who........

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