Iran's Leader's Office Denies Attribution of Nuclear Positions to Him as 'Invalid'

The public relations office of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, reacted on Tuesday, September 1, to recent comments made by some officials of the Islamic Republic regarding Ayatollah Khamenei's views on the nuclear agreement. In a statement published on the official website of the leader's office, it is mentioned that this statement was issued 'in light of the reflection of certain views and opinions' of Ayatollah Khamenei 'regarding the summary of nuclear issues in the media and virtual space of the country.' The statement adds, 'It is hereby officially announced: His Excellency's positions on this matter are clear, transparent, and without interpretation in his speeches and remarks in recent months, especially on the 9th of April, during the meeting with students of Imam Hussein University, the meeting with system officials during the holy month of Ramadan, and on Eid al-Fitr, and are available to everyone; therefore, any attribution of content outside this framework is invalid.' The comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and Western powers was reached on July 14, 2015, but Ali Khamenei has not yet officially expressed his opinion regarding the approval or rejection of the nuclear agreement. In this regard, earlier, Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the leader of the Islamic Republic in the Kayhan newspaper, stated that Ali Khamenei is not satisfied with the text of the nuclear agreement. On Saturday, August 15, in his 'Daily Note' in Kayhan, he referred to Ayatollah Khamenei's speech during the Eid al-Fitr prayers this year. He continued to write that the content of this speech 'leaves no doubt' that Ayatollah Khamenei 'is not at all satisfied with the prepared text [of the nuclear agreement].' This was the first time that an official of the Islamic Republic publicly commented on Ayatollah Khamenei's opinion regarding this agreement. A day after that, Hamid Reza Moghadamfar, the cultural and social deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, accused Hossein Shariatmadari of 'insisting on conveying to his audience' that the leader thinks like him. About two weeks later, Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Intelligence, quoted Ali Khamenei in a television program regarding the nuclear agreement, stating, 'This false propaganda line that has crossed red lines is not true'; however, he later apologized for this quote from Ali Khamenei. Mahmoud Alavi expressed regret in this regard, saying that after referring to the text of Mr. Khamenei's speech, it was noted that the correct phrase is: 'This incorrect propaganda line that has disregarded some official red lines in private meetings is false and a lie.' The leader of the Islamic Republic has not yet explicitly stated his opinion about the text of the Vienna nuclear agreement, although his previous remarks have included praise for the Iranian negotiating team. In his speech on September 1, he also referred to the nuclear agreement, stating, 'Ending the nuclear negotiations is one of the very important tasks that has been accomplished, and we hope that if there are some issues and problems in this regard, they will be resolved.' Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Council, previously stated in a speech that the nuclear negotiations of Iran, which began before the recent presidential elections in Iran, started with Ali Khamenei's positive opinion, saying that 'the hardliners were also unaware that they should oppose.' The term 'hardliners' refers to a group of critics of the nuclear negotiations who label Rouhani's government as 'compromising.' In this context, the Minister of Intelligence apologized for incorrectly quoting Ali Khamenei.