Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has publicly sanctioned a momentous agreement with the United States aimed at concluding the ongoing Middle East conflict. In a statement broadcast on state television on Thursday, the recently appointed leader conceded he harboured a “different view” regarding the accord but ultimately granted his formal authorisation.
The message marks Ayatollah Khamenei’s inaugural public response to the treaty, which US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian formally brokered.
The Supreme Leader explained that he granted his consent only after President Pezeshkian provided firm guarantees. Acting as the head of the Supreme National Security Council, the Iranian president pledged to safeguard the foundational rights and interests of both the Iranian populace and the wider Resistance Front. It was this explicit commitment, Khamenei noted, that superseded his initial reluctance.
The written address is a rare communication from the Supreme Leader, who has remained entirely out of the public eye since assuming power in March. His sudden ascension followed the death of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the pivotal US-Israeli airstrikes on 28 February, which were the catalyst for the current wave of regional hostilities.
Characterising the American administration’s negotiating posture, Ayatollah Khamenei asserted that President Trump resorted to various diplomatic and economic pressure mechanisms, suggesting that these levers were utilised “out of desperation” to finalise the pact.
While endorsing the memorandum of understanding, the Iranian leader stipulated that the agreement remains conditional. He stressed that Tehran would reject the framework entirely should Washington attempt to impose excessive or disproportionate demands moving forward.
Furthermore, he issued a stark caution regarding forthcoming diplomatic engagements. The Supreme Leader made it unequivocally clear that any future face-to-face dialogues with American officials must not be misconstrued as capitulating to an adversary’s perspective, signalling that Iran intends to maintain a rigid ideological stance despite the cessation of active warfare.
