An Iranian live television broadcast turned into a public storm after parliament member Nabavian quoted what he said were instructions from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei opposing a deal with the United States. According to Nabavian, Khamenei wrote that Iran was neither in a hurry nor obliged to reach an agreement, and that the talks should be about ending the war and securing compensation from Washington, not about Iran’s nuclear program.
Nabavian also cited a March 12 letter in which, he said, Khamenei demanded advance compensation from the United States and insisted that control of the Strait of Hormuz remain exclusively in Iranian hands. Under those alleged instructions, ships passing through the strait would be treated in categories, some stopped entirely, some charged transit fees, and vessels from Iran’s allies allowed through without payment.
As Nabavian kept reading and criticizing the U.S. agreement, the host cut him off and the broadcast abruptly ended. Iran’s state broadcasting authority quickly distanced itself from the incident, saying that publishing classified documents is a criminal offense that requires legal action, and noting that one of the channel’s managers had already resigned.
Conservative media figures also attacked Nabavian, including the editor in chief of the Morshark news agency, accusing him of selectively and tendentiously reading the documents. Conservative figures in Iran have recently accused President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior members of the negotiating team of making dangerous concessions to Washington, amid conflicting reports that Khamenei nevertheless approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding despite his fundamental reservations. Those same conservatives oppose the deal with the United States and are demanding the resignations of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, President Pezeshkian, and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
