Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a message to the Iranian people on Thursday that US President Donald Trump "from a position of inability has used various tools to reach a memorandum of understanding," referring to the agreement announced between the two sides.
The Iranian leader added that he had "a different opinion on the memorandum," but that he agreed to it after Iranian President Masoud Bazeshkian pledged to take responsibility for safeguarding the rights of the Iranian people and the Resistance Front.
In his letter, he stressed that "the negotiations that will take place in the future do not mean that we will accept the enemy's conditions," stressing that Iran will continue its negotiating position without compromising its constants, as he put it.
The letter, described as "the Leader of the Islamic Revolution's speech to the Iranian people on the memorandum of understanding between the presidents of Iran and the United States," said the Iranian authorities had worked "diligently and in good faith" to reach this stage, while noting that the U.S. president had "used all available means to achieve this goal."
He added that in principle he had a "different opinion," but allowed the agreement to go ahead after the Iranian president and members of the Supreme National Security Council committed to protecting the rights of the Iranian people and the Resistance Front.
Tehran will wait for the agreed terms to be implemented, he said, stressing that any direct negotiations in the future "will not mean accepting the enemy's opinion".
The Iranian leader concluded his message by praying for the Iranian people, saying, "We hope that the prayers of our Lord will be answered, that peace will descend, and that all kinds of victories and conquests will be achieved for the honorable Iranian people," according to the text of the letter.
U.S. military announces lifting of embargo on Iran
The US Army's Central Command announced on Thursday the official lifting of the blockade on Iran's coasts and all navigation activities in and out of Iran.
In a statement on its account on the X website, it said: "The lifting of the blockade came in compliance with President Donald Trump's directives, and US forces do not impede the passage of ships to and from Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman."
"All efforts to impose a military blockade have stopped, and our large naval vessels will remain in the area to ensure full compliance with all the provisions of the agreement and their full effectiveness and force," she added.
Vance announces the start of the 60-day period
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said the 60-day period in the memorandum of understanding endorsed by President Donald Trump and Iran's leaders began Thursday, June 18.
"I say the 60-day period officially began today," he told reporters at the White House, adding that he was confident that sanctions could be temporarily lifted without Congress.
Vance pointed out that technical talks on the Iran nuclear deal are scheduled to begin at the end of the week, provided that the Iranian delegation is present at the venue of the talks.
"We believe that these technical negotiations will begin sometime over the weekend," Vance told a White House news conference. That's still the plan, but that could change," he said, explaining that he intends to lead the U.S. negotiating team in talks with Iran.