Iran’s Khamenei says he approved US deal despite having ‘different view’

TEHRAN — Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that he had approved a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war despite having a “different view”.The message was his first reaction to the Iran-US deal to end the conflict that was signed by US Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian this week.He said he allowed the deal to go ahead after assurances from Pezeshkian that he would “protect the rights of the Iranian nation”.“In principle, I had a different view (about the memorandum of understanding), but I issued my permission due to the commitment that the honorable (Iranian) president, as the chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, gave me on behalf of himself and other members to protect the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front,” Khamenei said in a message read on state television.Khamenei has not been seen in public since he took office in March following the killing of his father and predecessor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 that sparked the regional war.Khamenei said Trump had “used all kinds of levers” to secure the deal “out of desperation.”In his message, Khamenei noted that he received assurances from Pezeshkian about the deal and that it would not be accepted “if the American side wants to make excessive demands.”The supreme leader said that while there would be “in-person negotiations in the future” between Tehran and Washington, this “will not mean acceptance of the enemy’s position”.Trump did not directly respond to Khamanei’s statement, but posted on Truth Social that he expects a ceasefire to take effect “on all fronts”, including between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, and that he expects countries in the Middle East to “maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations” to take place.The US-Iran deal centers around 14 core points, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a requirement that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon, and a commitment to a $300bn (£227bn) fund for the “reconstruction and economic development” of the country — although the US is not required to contribute.It also binds both sides to achieving a final deal in a “maximum” of 60 days, which could be extended with mutual consent.The official signing ceremony had been set to take place in Switzerland on Friday. However, mediator Pakistan told the BBC it had been cancelled because the deal had already been signed remotely. US and Iranian representatives are still expected to meet in Switzerland for further talks.