TEHRAN (MNN); Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has said that he approved the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States despite initially holding reservations about the agreement.
In a statement posted on X, Khamenei said US President Donald Trump had employed every possible form of pressure and leverage to secure the agreement. He noted that while he personally held a different opinion regarding the deal, he granted approval after receiving assurances from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and members of the Supreme National Security Council that the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front would be fully safeguarded.
Khamenei said the Iranian president had also assured him that Tehran would not submit to any excessive demands from Washington during the upcoming negotiations.
He added that the Iranian leadership and people would now closely monitor whether the conditions outlined by Tehran were honoured in practice.
The supreme leader further stressed that direct engagement and negotiations with the United States should not be interpreted as acceptance of Washington’s positions or policies.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance announced that the 60-day negotiation period agreed under the memorandum had officially begun.
At the same time, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that restrictions on maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports had been lifted. In a statement, CENTCOM said American forces were no longer impeding vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
However, the command added that US naval forces would remain in the region to ensure full compliance with all provisions of the agreement.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian electronically signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ending the conflict and paving the way for broader negotiations between the two countries.
