'We will not accept if ...' - Iran Supreme leader's first reaction on deal with US

Mojtaba Khamenei approved US-Iran MoU despite differences

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that he authorised the memorandum of understanding signed by the Iranian and US presidents, despite holding a different view on the agreement.He said he granted approval after receiving assurances from President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials that Iran's rights and the interests of the "Resistance Front" would be protected.In a written message addressing the Iranian nation, Khamenei said Pezeshkian, as head of the Supreme National Security Council, and other officials accepted responsibility for safeguarding the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front, leading him to grant permission for the memorandum."If the American side wants to be too demanding, we will not accept it (deal). Had different view regarding MoU with US but due to commitment to Iranian president and other members of Supreme National Security Council, I issued permission," Khamenei said through the letter.Khamenei also added that future face-to-face negotiations with the United States would not mean accepting "the enemy's position" and stressed that Iran would not accept demands it considered excessive.

"It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy's point of view," he said.If the American side sought to impose demands beyond what Iran considered acceptable, Tehran would reject them, the letter read, as cited by Reuters.Khamenei also said that it was the American president who "out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage" to bring about the memorandum of understanding.The remarks came as US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Pezeshkian signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and launching negotiations on a broader agreement covering sanctions relief and Iran's nuclear programme.Trump signed the memorandum during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday, while Pezeshkian signed the document separately. The agreement took effect immediately after both leaders signed it, as cited by CNN.The memorandum paves the way for further negotiations between Washington and Tehran on a broader framework addressing bilateral issues, sanctions and Iran's nuclear activities.