Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said he had authorised a memorandum of understanding signed by the presidents of Iran and the United States, despite personally holding "a different opinion" on the deal because of US President Donald Trump's desperation.
In a message addressed to the Iranian people, Khamenei said he granted permission for the agreement after receiving assurances from President Masoud Pezeshkian, who heads Iran's Supreme National Security Council, that the rights of the Iranian nation and the "resistance front" would be protected.
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"As you have become aware, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the presidents of Iran and America. In the course of reaching this stage, the officials, out of compassion and goodwill, made extensive efforts-and of course, it was this American president who, out of desperation, resorted to all sorts of levers to bring this about," Khamenei said in the post on X. He added that Iranian officials had made extensive efforts "out of compassion and goodwill", while claiming that the American president had acted "out of desperation" and used "all sorts of levers" to reach the agreement.
In another post, Khamenei said, "I, in principle, [regarding the memorandum of understanding] had a different opinion, but out of the commitment that the esteemed President, as the head of the Supreme National Security Council, gave to me on behalf of himself and the members in safeguarding the rights of the Iranian nation and the resistance front, and explicitly undertook to accept responsibility for it, I granted permission for it."
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Khamenei said Pezeshkian had explicitly accepted responsibility for safeguarding Iran's interests under the deal. He also warned that Tehran would not yield if Washington sought to go beyond the agreed terms.
"The esteemed President has stated that if the American side seeks to overreach, they will not yield to it," Khamenei said.
The remarks come after the US and Iran signed a memorandum aimed at ending hostilities and opening the way for wider negotiations. The framework provides for further talks over a final deal within 60 days, while also addressing issues including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US naval blockade.
Khamenei, however, sought to frame the move as a conditional approval rather than a diplomatic concession. He said Iran would now wait for the stated conditions in the memorandum to be fulfilled, but stressed that any future negotiations with the US would not amount to accepting Washington's position.
"From this moment forward, we-that is, you, the proud nation, and this humble servant-will await the fulfillment of the stated conditions [in the memorandum of understanding]. However, it goes without saying that the negotiations that will take place in the future will not amount to accepting the enemy's viewpoint," Khamenei concluded.
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