Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a statement suggesting that he was opposed to Iran even signing the MOU but that he was authorizing negotiations to begin while putting responsibility for implementing it on President Masoud Pezeshkian and his government. “In the path to reaching this stage, the responsible officials, out of concern and with good intentions, made many efforts, and indeed it was this American President who, out of desperation, used various levers to achieve this matter,” he said referring to the signing. “I, in principle, had a different opinion. But due to the commitment that the honorable President, as the head of the Supreme National Security Council, gave on behalf of himself and other members to uphold the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front, and because he explicitly accepted responsibility for it, I issued permission for it. They also explicitly stated that if the American side tries to make excessive demands, they will not accept them.”
However, Khamenei concluded, “it is self-evident that the in-person negotiations that will take place in the future will not mean acceptance of the enemy’s position. We hope that the blessed prayers of our Master (may God hasten his noble reappearance) will bring all kinds of victories and triumphs to the honorable nation of Iran.”
In a message afterwards, Pezeshkian expressed his appreciation for the Leader’s acknowledgment of the efforts and goodwill demonstrated by officials, as well as his authorization to initiate talks aimed at securing benefits for the Iranian people, reported IRNA.
“As president and chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, along with other members of the council, I consider myself committed to paying maximum attention to his concerns and to safeguarding the rights of the Iranian people and the Resistance Front,” Pezeshkian said. He emphasized that the red line for officials is the national interest and the preservation of the dignity, honor, and authority of the Iranian people. “With the negotiating team’s maximum attention to detail and with firm trust in God’s grace, a great victory will be achieved,” he said.
