Mojtaba Khamenei said his Ayatollah Khamenei US deal stance was to approve the agreement with the United States, even though he said he had a different view. The approval came after the two countries signed a deal to end the war in the Middle East, and the US dropped its naval blockade of Iran.
He said he allowed the deal to go ahead after receiving assurances from Masoud Pezeshkian that he would protect the rights of the Iranian nation. The deal has already started a 60-day period for further talks, and US Central Command said some US vessels will remain in the general area.
US Central Command and the blockade
US Central Command said the blockade ended in accordance with the President's direction. That shift matters immediately for the pace of the agreement: the naval pressure that had been tied to the dispute is off, while some US vessels still stay nearby.
The deal also includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a requirement that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon, and a $300bn fund for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran. The US is not required to contribute to the reconstruction fund, which makes the financing structure one-sided on paper even as the broader deal binds both sides to a final agreement within 60 days unless they extend it by mutual consent.
Tehran and Washington talks
Mojtaba Khamenei said future in-person negotiations between Tehran and Washington would not mean acceptance of the enemy's position. He also said Donald Trump had, "out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage" to bring the deal about. This was the first time Khamenei responded to the agreement.
That response came after he had not been seen in public since he took office in March following the killing of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the 28 February US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The timing gives the approval extra weight inside Iran: the country’s supreme leader is not only blessing the deal, but also setting limits on how far Tehran can be seen to move toward Washington.
Switzerland for talks
The official signing ceremony had been set to take place in Switzerland on Friday, but Mediator Pakistan said the ceremony was cancelled because the deal had already been signed remotely. US and Iranian representatives are still expected to meet in Switzerland for further talks, and JD Vance said he would likely head there for technical negotiations.
A White House spokesperson said on Thursday evening that JD Vance would not be departing tonight, and the White House said the US was looking forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible. JD Vance said the deal had come into effect and triggered the 60-day period of further talks, while Trump 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 countries in the Middle East should "maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations".
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called the agreement the "worst foreign policy blunder in decades" and said "Iran's nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works." The next pressure point is the technical round in Switzerland, where the deal's 14 core points will either be translated into a final settlement or extended by mutual consent under the 60-day timetable.
