Iran's Minister of Intelligence Apologizes for Misquoting Ali Khamenei

Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Intelligence, issued a statement on Saturday, September 7, apologizing for a misquote attributed to Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. According to state media reports, the statement from the Minister of Intelligence noted: "In the television program 'Negah-e Yek,' it was quoted from the Supreme Leader that 'this false propaganda line that has crossed red lines is not true.' Upon reviewing the text of his speech, it was found that the correct phrase is 'this incorrect propaganda line, which has disregarded some official red lines in private meetings, is false and untrue.'" Mahmoud Alavi expressed his apologies to Ali Khamenei and thanked critics who pointed out the issue. While the Minister of Intelligence has apologized for the incorrect quote from Ali Khamenei, the office of the Supreme Leader has not yet responded to other quotes regarding the nuclear agreement. In this context, Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Kayhan newspaper, previously stated that Ali Khamenei is not satisfied with the text of the nuclear agreement, but so far, the office of the Supreme Leader has not reacted to these statements. On Saturday, August 24, in his 'Daily Note' in Kayhan newspaper, he referred to Ali Khamenei's speech during the Eid al-Fitr prayers this year regarding the Vienna agreement. He continued by writing that the content of this speech 'leaves no doubt' that Ayatollah Khamenei 'is in no way satisfied with the prepared text [of the nuclear agreement].' Hossein Shariatmadari also stated that Ali Khamenei 'is fully aware of the deficiencies and disastrous consequences of the mentioned agreement.' The comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and Western powers was reached on July 14, 2015, but Ali Khamenei has yet to publicly express his approval or disapproval of the nuclear agreement.