Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday he authorized direct negotiations with the U.S. but insisted Tehran would not submit to excessive demands.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since the U.S.-Iran conflict began on Feb. 28. He was believed to have been seriously wounded during the opening wave of the joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes that killed his predecessor and father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

His written statement in English on his Telegram channel was his first public response since the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday. The agreement establishes a 60-day framework while negotiations continue toward a permanent deal.

Khamenei said "out of principle," he was against the MOU, but because of a commitment given to him by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian "on his own behalf and on behalf of the other members regarding the safeguarding of the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front, and his explicit acceptance of that responsibility, I granted my permission."

Khamenei added that Pezeshkian "explicitly stated that if the American side seeks to make excessive demands, they will not submit to them." He also said President Donald Trump, "out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage to bring this about."

"From this moment on, we — that is, you, the proud nation, and this humble servant — will await the realization of the aforementioned conditions," Khamenei said.

"However, 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."

Raz Zimmt, director of the Iran Program at the Institute for National Security Studies, told Axios that Khamenei's statement amounts to an endorsement of continued negotiations with the U.S.

"At the same time, much like his father, he appears careful to preserve a degree of political insulation that would allow him to place responsibility for any potential failure on the president," Zimmt said.

Zimmt said that if the negotiations produce a favorable agreement, Khamenei can claim credit. If they fail, he and his supporters can argue he never fully backed the process and place the blame on Pezeshkian.