Iran’s chief negotiator in the deal signed today with the US has warned the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khameini will be avenged with the “liberation of Jerusalem”.
The Memorandum of Understanding agreed between the US and the Islamic Republic has raised hopes of ending the conflict in the Gulf, pending a final agreement.
But Tehran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf signalled the regime remains committed to its longstanding objective of the destruction of Israel, in a newly published interview that contradicts hopes of peace.
Responding to regime hardliners who oppose any engagement with the US, he vowed the regime will take revenge for Ali Khaemini’s death in an Israeli air strike in February, and disparaged prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ghalibaf, who is the Speaker of the Iranian parliament, said: "The true way to avenge the martyred Imam is the liberation of Jerusalem.
"One hundred Netanyahus are not worth the shoelace of the martyred Imam."
Regime leaders have moved quickly to portray the deal as a strategic victory dictated by Tehran rather than a concession to Washington.
Officials sought to reassure the public with promises of economic relief while insisting that the Islamic Republic's ideological principles remain unchanged.
For weeks US officials have suggested they were negotiating with the man they regarded as Iran's "real leader".
It became clear that the figure in question was Ghalibaf, who met Vice President J.D. Vance during talks in Islamabad.
While highlighting the economic benefits of the agreement, including closer ties with China, Ghalibaf argued that the Islamic Republic must now focus on economic development rather than confrontation.
"We must… lift people out of economic pressure, and build the country," he said.
But he made clear economic engagement with the West does not mean abandoning the commitment to Israel's destruction.
Some regime supporters within Iran have shown their opposition to to the deal, in videos circulating on social media.
In one clip, demonstrators in Tehran denounced the agreement at one of the nightly pro-government gatherings that have become a regular feature in parts of the capital.
Addressing the crowd, a speaker complained that the agreement had been signed on the eve of Donald Trump's 80th birthday.
Referring to Trump as the man responsible for Khamenei's death, he declared that supporters of the Islamic Republic would "neither forgive nor forget" the government's decision to reach an accord with Washington.
The backlash has become significant enough that media outlets linked to the regime have begun warning opponents against taking their objections into the streets.
Javan, a newspaper closely associated with the Revolutionary Guards, accused hardline critics of attempting to organise unlawful protests and warned that organisers could face legal consequences.
In a series of editorials, the newspaper cautioned against deepening divisions within the Islamic Republic and insisted that disagreements over the agreement should be pursued through official channels rather than public demonstrations.
The paper also criticised radical members of parliament who have publicly attacked the deal, urging them to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and personal attacks and instead preserve unity at a sensitive moment for the regime.
But dissident Iranians opposed to the regime are also bitterly disappointed that the deal has been reached between the US and the Islamic Republic.
Many of those who participated in the nationwide protests of January 2026, during which thousands were reportedly killed in the regime's crackdown, say they feel abandoned by Washington's decision to reach an accommodation with Tehran.
One 33-year-old woman told the JC that the agreement has done little to change the determination of those who took part in the demonstrations.
She said: "For those of us who survived the killings in January, it matters little what decision Donald Trump makes or what agreement is signed.
"People believe that sooner or later they will return to the streets to challenge the regime."
The regime opponent lost a close friend who was shot dead by security forces during the protests.
"We never asked anyone for money," she said. "We are fighting for our freedom.
“Donald Trump did what he believed was in the interests of his administration, and we will do what is in ours. Ghalibaf and the people running this country were responsible for the crackdown.
"They cannot deliver the future we want. We will remove them ourselves."
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