In a message addressed to the Leader, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf thanked Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei for a “guiding and wise message,” saying it had provided a roadmap and made it clearer than before that finalizing the memorandum marked “only the beginning of a difficult and winding path” toward securing the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance from an unreliable adversary.
Qalibaf said the Leader’s message and his emphasis on waiting for the fulfillment of the conditions set out in the memorandum had strengthened Iran’s position in pursuing US commitments.
“We place Your Eminence’s directives at the forefront of our actions,” Qalibaf stated, adding that Iran would not allow the other side, through bad faith and coercion, to undermine the rights of the Iranian people and the Resistance Front.
Referring to the path of martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Qalibaf said he believes the “front of monotheism” can never make peace with the “front of falsehood” and argued that diplomacy should be regarded as one of the arenas of struggle and resistance.
He further stated that the guarantee for implementing the memorandum was “not its clauses, but our lives that we hold in our hands and the power of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” stressing that the “American-Zionist enemy” had witnessed Iran’s resolve and capabilities during the recent war.
Qalibaf said Iran had already demonstrated during previous negotiations that it would stand firm in safeguarding the established conditions and red lines and in securing the interests of the Iranian nation.
Describing negotiations as “a path of struggle to obtain the rights of the Iranian people,” he warned that if the other side sought excessive demands, Iran had proven that “our hand is on the trigger” and that there would be “no hesitation in delivering a crushing response to the enemy that tasted it in the recent war.”
In the concluding part of his message, Qalibaf thanked the Leader for clarifying how to proceed through a dangerous and complex phase of negotiations and expressed hope that the message would unite all segments of society in pursuing the conditions outlined in the memorandum.
The message came after Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement on Thursday evening concerning the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States.
In that message, the Leader said he had authorized the signing of the agreement because of commitments made by government officials to protect the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front.
Addressing the public, he said a memorandum of understanding had been signed between the presidents of Iran and the United States and noted that Iranian officials had made extensive efforts to reach that stage, while arguing that the US president had resorted to various pressure tools out of desperation.
The Leader added that although he had initially held a different view, he granted permission after receiving assurances from President Pezeshkian, in his capacity as chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, and other council members that they would safeguard Iran’s rights and reject excessive American demands. He also emphasized that any future face-to-face negotiations would not mean accepting the enemy’s position.
The 14-point MoU was signed remotely in the early hours of Thursday by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump, who was attending the G7 summit in France. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated the months-long diplomatic effort, also signed the memorandum and announced that the agreement took effect immediately.