An Iranian man holds up a portrait of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a rally in Tehran, Iran, June 4, amid a temporary ceasefire between Iran and the United States. EPA-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtab Khamenei endorsed direct negotiations with the U.S. late Thursday in a statement read by state media.
“It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy’s opinion,” he said.
It was Khamenei’s first reaction to the deal recently reached between Iran and the U.S. to end hostilities.
The supreme leader has not been seen in public since he was wounded in a strike at the start of the war.
