Four days after the signing of the agreement between Iran and the United States, a statement attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei regarding the agreement was released on Thursday,June 18. The statement said: “In principle, I had a different view. However, based on 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, regarding the safeguarding of the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front, and his acceptance of responsibility for it, I granted permission for it.” The statement also stressed that if the American side were to make “excessive demands,” the Islamic Republic of Iran would not accept them. Mojtaba Khamenei said that accepting the agreement did not mean accepting the position of the United States, writing: “From this moment onward, we the proud nation, and this servant of yours — await the implementation of the conditions that have been outlined.” He added: “It is clear that any face-to-face negotiations that may take place in the future do not mean acceptance of the enemy’s position.” The statement was released amid questions raised in recent days by some opponents of the agreement inside Iran as to why Mojtaba Khamenei had not previously commented on the deal. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since Israeli strikes on the leadership compound, and no audio message from him has been released. Reports have circulated that he was injured in those attacks, but further details regarding his health condition have not been independently verified.
