Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first formal public comment on Thursday after the memorandum of understanding was signed between the president of Iran and the president of the United States. In a message to the Iranian public, he said he had disagreed with the move at first, but approved it after the president accepted responsibility for protecting national interests and refusing any further American demands.
Khamenei said approval came only after what he described as sustained efforts by the relevant officials and the president’s commitment to safeguard the country’s interests and the “resistance front.” He said, “The relevant officials invested diligent efforts, driven by concern and goodwill, despite the U.S. president’s use of various forms of pressure.” He added that the agreement was not a surrender.
According to Khamenei, the president promised that Iran would not yield if Washington tried to impose “expansionist dictates” or add new conditions. He said the public and the leadership now expect the United States to honor those terms. He also stressed that any direct talks in the future would not mean capitulation, saying, “Any direct negotiations that may take place in the future will in no way indicate surrender to the enemy’s demands.”
The message was meant to back the political leadership’s move while preserving the hard-line ideological stance of the “resistance front.” By placing implementation responsibility on the president, Khamenei also kept political room to distance himself if the deal is not carried out.
