Did Khamenei's aide try to soften his anti-US remarks?

As Iran’s political establishment braces for Donald Trump’s return as US president, a senior figure in Ali Khamenei's office has sought to downplay the Supreme Leader's recent remarks, in which he urged Iranian officials to disregard US demands.

What did Mehdi Fazaeli say about Khamenei's speech?

Fazaeli, regarded as an official authorized to interpret Khamenei's views, told Hamshahri newspaper in Tehran, “It has often happened that a group of people misunderstand a statement [by Khamenei] or pretend they have misunderstood it, taking the liberty to make unjustified interpretations and judgments.”

He said that Khamenei's remark, widely seen as a barrier to potential talks with Trump, was not meant to rule out negotiations if the two sides' positions align.

Fazaeli further argued that Khamenei's message was a directive for Iranian officials to prioritize and uphold national interests above all else.

He claimed that there are instances in governance, where a country's interests align with those of a foreign nation. However, he also appeared to emphasize that such decisions are driven solely by national interests, even if they coincide with the other country’s desires. The motivation behind these decisions, he said, is rooted in domestic priorities, not external influence.

Tehran's media widely covered Fazaeli's explanations, which aimed to soften perceptions of Khamenei’s intransigence regarding potential talks with the new Trump administration—a prospect many in Iran are hopeful for.

President Masoud Pezeshkian and some senior officials in his administration advocate for negotiations with Washington to lift US sanctions and stabilize Iran's rapidly deteriorating economy. In what some interpreted as a gesture of goodwill by Tehran, the government offered to send help to the US to contain the ongoing fires in California on Saturday.

Moderate conservative Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker and Khamenei’s adviser, has suggested that Iran may be open to serious negotiations with the Trump administration on the nuclear issue.

Larijani who has assumed a more prominent public role as Khamenei’s adviser in the past few months has suggested that Iran could guarantee not to build a nuclear bomb if the US meets Iran's conditions, emphasizing that Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal did not halt Tehran’s nuclear advancements.

What did Khamenei say about the US in his speech?

Khamenei delivered the speech to a group of visitors from Qom, commemorating the anniversary of Islamist revolutionaries' protests against the Shah in January 1978.

The protests took place shortly after US President Jimmy Carter's visit to Iran, during which he described the country as "an island of stability."

The unrest in Qom was sparked by a newspaper article seen as insulting Ruhollah Khomeini, who would later become the Islamic Republic's first Supreme Leader. The crackdown on the protesters set off a wave of demonstrations nationwide, culminating in the Islamic Revolution of February 1979.

In his speech, Khamenei cited the Qom protests as evidence that Carter and his administration misunderstood the revolutionaries' strength and “miscalculated” the situation in Iran at the time.

Khamenei asserted that the US, which he repeatedly referred to as "the enemy," has consistently misjudged Iran, leading to decisions like imposing sanctions to cripple the Iranian economy. However, he claimed these efforts have failed, and the US is now seeking to compensate for its setbacks.

“Yes, the sanctions caused harm to the country. It’s not as though they didn’t. They did harm us,” Khamenei said, adding, “God willing, the Iranian nation will one day hold them accountable for these losses.”

In his lengthy speech, Khamenei refrained from directly addressing talks with the US or European parties to the nuclear deal. Instead, he urged officials of the Islamic Republic to resist US demands and prioritize what he described as the preferences of the Iranian people—though in reality, these preferences often mirror the decisions of the Islamic leadership and, ultimately, his own directives—on issues such as the hijab, the economy, and foreign policy.

Iranian officials would be threatening “the country’s democracy and its republicanism” if they complied with the US demands in these respects, he said.

“Why? Because people voted for us, they brought us to power, to work in their interests -- not America’s,” he added.

Khamenei seemed to draw a parallel between the situation in January 1978 and the present, suggesting that the US would be mistaken in believing the Islamic Republic is now in a weakened position and could be coerced into an agreement it does not want to make.

What authority does Fazaeli have to speak for Khamenei?

Fazaeli, deputy chief of the Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of the Leader of the Revolution, holds a senior position within Khamenei’s office.

In recent months, he has often spoken on the record to "clarify" or offer "context" for Khamenei’s statements on controversial issues.

In at least one instance, ultra-hardliners accused Fazaeli of lying after he indirectly confirmed in a tweet that Khamenei had endorsed the Pezeshkian government’s decision to amend a specific law.

They also argue that Fazaeli lacks the authority to act as Khamenei’s spokesman. Other officials within Khamenei’s office have neither confirmed nor denied Fazaeli’s statements.