A hardline Iranian lawmaker critical of negotiations with the United States has publicly claimed that the Iranian negotiation team violated directives from the Supreme Leader, revealing internal conflicts within Iran's leadership.
According to the Guardian, Mahmoud Nabavian, deputy chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, stated during an appearance on state television that he had seen a secret letter from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Nabavian alleged that the negotiation team exceeded its authorized powers based on the letter, which he claimed outlined 11 conditions for continuing negotiations with the U.S. These conditions reportedly included U.S. compensation payments, retention of uranium enrichment rights, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen Iranian assets, full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and immediate toll collection.
He further claimed that Khamenei instructed that the Strait of Hormuz should only be reopened once the U.S. agrees to compensation payments. Regarding the first peace talks held with the U.S. in Islamabad on April 12, Nabavian asserted that Khamenei's letter directed the negotiation team to halt discussions, stating that the agreements reached were entirely different from the original conditions.
Nabavian criticized the negotiation team for ignoring these directives and making concessions to the U.S. He argued that prior to the Swiss negotiations, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the release of Iranian frozen funds, the lifting of maritime blockades, and a temporary suspension of sanctions should have been accomplished.
After the broadcast, the interviewer abruptly ended the segment, thanking Nabavian for his comments. Within an hour of the censored broadcast, the interview video was deleted from the station's archive, and a senior official at the state broadcaster resigned.
Nabavian's remarks could lead to potential charges or loss of his parliamentary position. The Iranian state broadcaster described his statements as "evidence of legal violations and subject to legal penalties." A spokesperson for the negotiation team dismissed Nabavian's claims as "old and distorted assertions."
The Guardian noted that Nabavian's comments highlighted tensions within the upper echelons of the Iranian government in real-time. It also suggested that the newly appointed Supreme Leader has been more directly involved in negotiations than previously known, instructing the negotiation team not to back down on issues related to nuclear matters and tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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