Mystery as Iran's Ayatollah goes missing from key military meeting - with no reason why

The sit-down marks the anniversary of February 8, 1979, when air force officers pledged allegiance to Ruhollah Khomeini, the current Ayatollah's predecessor and founder of the Islamic Republic.

Mr Khamenei has attended the event every year since becoming Supreme Leader in 1989.

This year however, he was replaced by Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ruhollah Khomeini.

No official explanation was given for his absence, triggering speculation amid heightened tension in the region.

Previous reports claimed Ayatollah Khameini had fled to a heavily fortified shelter linked by a maze of tunnels under Tehran as protests rocked the nation.

Masoud Khameini, the Ayatollah's youngest son, has taken over the daily operations of Iran, according to Iranian outlets.

The 53-year-old is reportedly running office and serves as the main communication channel for the Government.

Just before the mystery absence, senior officials from Iran and the US held talks in Oman on Friday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the talks were a "good beginning" and "exclusively nuclear".

The US had asked to also discuss Iran's intercontinental ballistic missiles and support for regional armed proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah.

And Donald Trump had previously threatened strikes against the country - unless an agreement on Iran's nuclear programme was made.

Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons which is able to enrich uranium to 60 per cent - a level which in theory would open the door to developing its own.

Yesterday, the head of Iran's atomic programme, Mohammad Eslami, said the country would be willing to dilute its highly enriched uranium in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

Diluting would mean mixing uranium with other elements to decrease the enrichment level of the nuclear material.

With nuclear fears in mind, Mr Trump has sent a "large armada" towards the country.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, warships, and fighter jets, are all on standby prepared to strike.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will soon meet Mr Trump in the US to discuss Iran and their continued talks.

He is set to travel with Brigadier General Omer Tischler, the next head of Israel's air force.

The pair are said to be planning to share Israeli intelligence with US counterparts to maximise the effectiveness of any strikes.

But reports in American media suggest the President is cooling on the idea of military action as it may not end up toppling the Ayatollah's regime.