President Masoud Pezeshkian says the country’s decisions follow institutional protocols after Trump cites peace agreement with the US
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country will not make any decision without the authorization of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The statement was released by on Saturday (May 23, 2026), after the president of the USA, (Republican Party), stated that a peace agreement between Washington and Tehran would already be “largely negotiated”.
Pezeshkian stated that all of Iran’s measures follow the protocols of the Supreme National Security Council, the body responsible for defense and national security decisions. According to him, no initiative will be taken outside the institutional structure established by the country.
The Iranian president sought to reinforce the central role of the supreme leader in strategic decisions and Iranian foreign policy. The demonstration was interpreted as a response to Trump’s recent statements about advanced negotiations between the 2 countries.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since assuming the role of supreme leader in March 2026. In early May, Iranian state media reported that he had met with a senior military commander, but no images of the meeting were released. His public absence raised speculation about his location and health status.
The current supreme leader took office after the death of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint attacks carried out by the US and Israel.
According to a source interviewed by the international press, a possible agreement between the US and Iran would include Iranian commitments not to develop nuclear weapons, in addition to the suspension of uranium enrichment and negotiations on the withdrawal of the country’s highly enriched stockpile. The details of the measures would still be discussed in future negotiations.
