Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has authorized a memorandum of understanding with the United States, triggering a 60-day formal negotiating period between the two longtime adversaries. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps backed the move, though it issued a pointed warning against potential US violations.
What’s actually in the deal
Khamenei granted approval on June 18 after receiving assurances from President Masoud Pezeshkian and officials from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Those assurances centered on two things: upholding Iran’s national rights and protecting the interests of what Tehran calls the “Axis of Resistance.”
The MOU establishes mechanisms for future talks and deconfliction, with Lebanon specifically mentioned as a theater where coordination channels will be set up. Negotiators also agreed to address the security of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes daily.
The agreement coincided with the US lifting a blockade on Iran. A structured 60-day window is now open for both sides to hammer out details on the thorniest issues.
