Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that he approved the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran despite having a “different view” on the deal.
Khamenei said that Iranian officials, including Masoud Pezeshkian, wanted to reach the deal “out of sincere concern and goodwill” and said that it was brought about by the “desperation” of President Trump.
“I, as a matter of principle, held a different view; however, out of the commitment that the esteemed president—as the head of the Supreme National Security Council—gave to me on his own behalf and on behalf of the other members regarding the safeguarding of the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front, and his explicit acceptance of that responsibility, I granted my permission,” Khamenei said in a written statement published in English on X.
The Iranian leader said that Pezeshkian told him that “if the American side seeks to make excessive demands, they will not submit to them” and added that “in-person negotiations in the future will not mean acceptance of the enemy’s position.”
Under the MoU, which was signed by Trump and Pezeshkian on Wednesday, negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and other issues are set to begin for at least 60 days with the option to extend the negotiation period by mutual consent. The immediate effect of the MoU is that the US will end the blockade on Iranian ports and Iran will allow more traffic to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
The MoU also calls for the immediate end to Israel’s war in Lebanon, which could be a major stumbling block to implementing the deal, as Israel is refusing to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and Israeli attacks have continued. Iranian officials have maintained that any deal with the US hinges on the end of the Lebanon war, and the Iranian military has warned of a “harsh response” if Israel continues its strikes and occupation.
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