A member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee has said that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei opposes continuing negotiations with the United States.
In an interview with Iranian state television on 23 April, Ali Khazrian praised Khamenei, who replaced his father, Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s Supreme Leader after the ayatollah was killed in a 28 February airstrike, for “commanding the armed forces and running the country”.
“According to our information, he is strongly opposed to any continuation of negotiations under such circumstances. Iran has concluded that engaging in talks without a clear agenda is just a tool of the United States to control energy markets,” Ali Khazrian said.
The lawmaker also said that all US goals in the war with Iran have failed.
In recent days, reports in several U.S. media outlets have indicated a growing disagreement among various factions in Iran’s ruling establishment over whether to engage in talks with the United States.
US President Donald Trump said on 23 April that the internal struggle between Iran’s “hardline” and “moderate” factions had become “absolutely insane”.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since his appointment as Iran’s supreme leader.