Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview aired by state TV on Wednesday that interaction with the country's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is currently "very difficult."
Mojtaba has not made any public appearances since he became supreme leader, replacing his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in one of the first strikes launched against Iran by the US and Israel.
Pezeshkian's comments follow a reported phone call earlier on Wednesday between the Iranian president and the head of Hamas' political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya.
According to Iranian state media, Pezeshkian told al-Hayya that Tehran would support any initiative or decision taken by Palestinian leaders in ongoing indirect negotiations between terrorist group Hamas and Israel.
The call came after a report by Iran’s Tabnak media site on Monday saying that Khamenei warned Pezeshkian that he (Khamenei) would accept the Iranian president's resignation if he resubmits it.
Tabnak was informed of the warning, which came in the form of a letter written by the supreme leader, by one of Khamenei's relatives.
Tehran reportedly fears audio recordings could reveal Khamenei’s location
The Islamic regime has avoided releasing audio of the supreme leader, with a report on Monday by the Tehran Municipality-affiliated Iranian daily Al-Mashhari claiming that this is due to fears of revealing Khamenei's location and condition.
The newspaper outlined five ways a recording could potentially reveal where he was located, including acoustic signatures, electrical grid interference, audio file imprints, equipment noise, and stress patterns in Khamenei's voice.
Danielle Greyman-Kennard and Lia Wein contributed to this report.