Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, confirmed he authorized an agreement with the US, despite holding a different view on the deal.
In a text message read on Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB on Thursday evening, Khamenei said that US President Donald Trump had “out of desperation, resorted to various forms of pressure and leverage to bring about this outcome.”
“As a matter of principle, I held a different view. However, in light of the commitment given to me by the respected President, in his capacity as head of the Supreme National Security Council, on behalf of himself and the other members, to safeguard the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front—and given his explicit acceptance of responsibility for doing so—I authorized it,” Khamenei said.
Iran will now “await the fulfillment of the conditions that have been stated” in the agreement, the Iranian leader continued.
He added that any potential future face-to-face negotiations “do not signify acceptance of the enemy’s position.”
Khamenei later posted an English-language version of his statement on his official X account.
Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi issued a statement welcoming the supreme leader’s “wise” message, according to IRIB.
Iran’s “foreign policy apparatus will be devoted to securing the supreme interests” of the country, Araghchi added.
This post has been updated with more details on the supreme leader’s statement.
