The Washington Post

Ayatollah says nuclear deal will not change Iran’s relations with U.S.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei withheld his verdict on Iran’s nuclear deal with six world powers, but in his address he vowed enduring opposition to the United States and its Middle East policies, saying Washington sought Iran's “surrender.” (Reuters)

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Saturday that hostility between the Islamic republic and the “arrogant” United States will not abate after a landmark nuclear agreement and that Iran will keep supporting regional groups and governments that the West opposes.

“Whether the deal is approved or disapproved, we will never stop supporting our friends in the region and the people of Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon,” Khamenei said at the end of prayers marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. “Even after this deal, our policy toward the arrogant U.S. will not change. We don’t have any negotiations or deal with the U.S. on different issues in the world or the region.”

Khamenei’s speech was his first since Iran and six world powers, including the United States, announced on Tuesday that they had reached an agreement in which Iran accepts restrictions on its nuclear power program for 10 years or longer, and intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities. In return, Iran can expect to see international sanctions start to be lifted by the end of this year or early next year.

Khamenei’s remarks are significant because, as supreme leader, he has the final word on official policy; if he opposes the agreement, Iran could back out of the deal. His speech was broadcast on state television, and some members of the audience could be heard chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” as is common at rallies attended by hard-liners.

Khamenei’s criticism appeared to be an attempt to appease hard-liners who oppose negotiations with the United States, which many still refer to as “the Great Satan.” Many of the deal’s critics in the United States have said Tehran is likely to take at least some of more than $100 billion in Iranian assets that will be unfrozen when sanctions are lifted and divert it to groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, Houthi rebels in Yemen and the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, waves during morning prayers for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in central Tehran. (Handout/Reuters)

Khamenei’s remarks are often cryptic to Western ears, and during more than a year and a half of negotiations, he alternately praised Iranian negotiators and condemned the United States. Iran’s negotiators were allied with President Hassan Rouhani, who is considered more of a pragmatist favoring greater engagement with the world. But the negotiators were repeatedly assured during the talks that they were acting with the authority of Khamenei.

He did not address the specifics of the deal, although he portrayed it as a win for Iran. While Iran agreed to pare back two-thirds of its uranium-enriching centrifuges, it will be left with thousands of centrifuges and be allowed to continue research into more efficient models that could be installed after the agreement’s provisions end.

Iran has always insisted that its nuclear program is only for civilian purposes such as energy production. But the United States and its allies believe Iran was trying to develop nuclear weapons under a program abandoned in 2003. The negotiated deal was designed to block Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons for a decade or more.

“The Americans say they stopped Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” Khamenei said. “They know it’s not true.”

Khamenei said Iran considers nuclear weapons anti-Islamic, and added, “It had nothing to do with the nuclear talks.”

Next week, a resolution will be introduced at the United Nations Security Council laying the groundwork for lifting sanctions and endorsing the agreement finalized in Vienna.

Carol Morello is the diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post, covering the State Department.

world

national-security

Success! Check your inbox for details. You might also like:

Please enter a valid email address

See all newsletters

Comments
Show Comments

Sign up for email updates from the "Confronting the Caliphate" series.

You have signed up for the "Confronting the Caliphate" series.

Thank you for signing up
You'll receive e-mail when new stories are published in this series.
Most Read

world

national-security

Success! Check your inbox for details.

See all newsletters

Your Three. Videos curated for you.
Play Videos
This isn't your daddy's gun club
3:31
A shot to kill the high
5:33
Scenes from Brazil's Carajás Railway
1:47
Play Videos
Why seasonal allergies make you miserable
1:20
John Lewis, 'Marv the Barb' and the politics of barber shops
1:52
Using Fitbit to help kids lose weight
5:05
Play Videos
This man's job is binge-watching for Netflix
0:00
How much can one woman eat?
1:17
Pandas, from birth to milk to mom
1:12
Play Videos
The signature drink of New Orleans
3:17
Cool off with sno-balls, a New Orleans treat
1:43
Europe's migrant crisis, explained
2:07

To keep reading, please enter your email address.

You’ll also receive from The Washington Post:
  • A free 6-week digital subscription
  • Our daily newsletter in your inbox

Please enter a valid email address

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Please indicate agreement.

Thank you.

Check your inbox. We’ve sent an email explaining how to set up an account and activate your free digital subscription.