Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Wednesday that he had a “different view” on the memorandum of understanding signed by the presidents of Iran and the United States, but allowed it to move forward after Iran’s president…

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Wednesday that he had a “different view” on the memorandum of understanding signed by the presidents of Iran and the United States, but allowed it to move forward after Iran’s president accepted personal responsibility for protecting the country’s interests.

In a statement shared in several parts on X, Khamenei addressed what he called the “passionate and loyal nation of Iran” and said Iranian officials involved in the process had acted with “sincere concern and goodwill.”

He also accused President Donald Trump of pushing for the memorandum “out of desperation,” saying the American president used “all kinds of leverage” to make the agreement happen.

“I, as a matter of principle, held a different view,” Khamenei said.

Still, he said he gave his approval after Iran’s president, who also serves as head of the Supreme National Security Council, gave him a commitment that Iranian interests would be protected. According to Khamenei, that pledge covered not only “the rights of the Iranian nation,” but also the interests of what he described as the “Resistance Front.”

Khamenei said the president also made clear that Iran would not give in if the United States tried to impose “excessive demands.”

“From this moment on,” he said, Iranians will be watching to see whether those conditions are honored.

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His comments suggested that the agreement remains politically sensitive inside Iran, even after receiving his permission. While he did not reject the memorandum outright, Khamenei made it clear he was not fully aligned with the decision and placed responsibility for its consequences on the president and other officials who backed it.

The statement also framed the agreement as something driven more by American weakness than Iranian concession. Khamenei argued that Trump was the one who needed the MOU and that Washington applied pressure to bring it about.

“In the course of reaching this stage, the officials in charge, out of sincere concern and goodwill, made extensive efforts — and of course, it was the American president who, out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage to bring this about,” Khamenei said in the translated statement.

He continued: “I, as a matter of principle, held a different view; however, out of the commitment that the esteemed president — as the head of the Supreme National Security Council — gave to me 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’s statement appeared designed to reassure Iranians who may be uneasy about any arrangement with the United States. It also left little doubt that, in his view, the agreement will be judged by whether Iran’s leadership can prevent Washington from using it to demand more later.

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