ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that he originally disagreed with the content of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with the United States, but approved it after receiving assurances from the Iranian president that the country’s rights would be safeguarded.
“As a matter of principle, I held a different view. However, based on the commitment that the respected president, in his capacity as head of the Supreme National Security Council, gave to me on behalf of himself and the other members regarding the safeguarding of the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front—and having explicitly accepted responsibility for it—I authorized it,” Khamenei said in his first statement following the signing of the memorandum.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian “has also clearly stated that if the American side seeks excessive demands, they will not submit to them,” he added.
Khamenei's remarks suggest there were reservations within Iran's leadership over the agreement, even as Tehran moved forward with the deal. He stressed that any future face-to-face negotiations with Washington would not amount to accepting the United States' positions and said Iran would judge the agreement based on whether its stated conditions are fulfilled.
The United States and Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and numerous senior military commanders on the first day of the operation.
In response, Tehran targeted US interests and allies across the Middle East and effectively shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply passed before the outbreak of the war.
Updated at 9:10 pm
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