Approving Iran-US MoU, Mojtaba Khamenei Calls Trump Desperate

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said United States President Donald Trump is using various bargaining chips to secure a peace deal out of desperation. Mojtaba also stated that he approved the agreement with the US to end the war, despite having ‘different views’. In a statement read on Iranian state television, as reported by Press TV and AFP on Friday (19/6/2026), Mojtaba announced that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the US had been signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Trump. He praised the Iranian officials who helped achieve the deal. However, Mojtaba then described Trump as desperate to reach an agreement with Iran. ‘In the process of reaching this stage, the officials, certainly with compassion and good intentions, have made many efforts. And of course, it is the US President who, out of desperation, is using various bargaining chips for this purpose,’ Mojtaba said in the statement released on Thursday (18/6). This statement marks Mojtaba’s first reaction to the Iran-US peace deal, which was signed remotely by Pezeshkian and Trump on Wednesday (17/6) local time. The agreement permanently ends hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, initiates a 60-day ceasefire, lifts the US blockade on Iran, restores commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, discusses a US$300 billion reconstruction plan, and removes US sanctions. The deal will allow Tehran to rejoin the global economy, provided it meets the commitments outlined in the agreement. Mojtaba acknowledged that he initially held a different view. However, he ultimately gave his consent based on commitments made by Pezeshkian to protect the rights of the Iranian nation and the resistance front. ‘In principle, I had a different view (regarding the memorandum of understanding), but I gave my permission because of the commitments given by the honourable President (of Iran), as chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, on behalf of himself and other members to protect the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front,’ Mojtaba said in his statement. He added that Pezeshkian also affirmed he would not accept excessive US demands. ‘It is clear that the face-to-face negotiations which will take place in the future will not mean accepting the enemy’s point of view,’ he stressed.