Iran's Supreme Leader Mocks Trump's 'Desperate' Deal as US Lifts Naval Blockade
Iran's Supreme Leader has mocked Donald Trump's 'desperation' to re-open the Strait of Hormuz as he accepted a peace deal to end the war and lift the ongoing US naval blockade on terms seen as highly favourable to the Islamic Republic.
"As you have been informed, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the presidents of Iran and the United States of America," Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement on Thursday. "In the course of reaching this stage, the officials in charge, out of sincere concern and goodwill, made extensive efforts—and of course, it was the American president who, out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage to bring this about."
Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the interim deal on Wednesday, bringing an end to the three-month war. A social media post by US Central Command later confirmed that it would no longer blockade maritime traffic heading in and out of the Strait of Hormuz, while Vice President JD Vance told reporters that 12.5 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait on Wednesday.
The U.S. Navy currently has more than a dozen ships, including two aircraft carriers, in the waters off Iran. Central Command said that U.S. Navy ships "will remain in the general area to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect."
Elsewhere in his message, Khamenei said that while he "held a different view" to the Iranian president on how to deal with Trump, he was convinced to sign off on the peace deal after getting assurances from Pezeshkian that "if the American side seeks to make excessive demands, they will not submit to them."
