Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said maintaining contact with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is very difficult, but described his presence as a major source of strength for the country. In an interview broadcast on state television on Wednesday, Pezeshkian called Khamenei an extraordinary figure and praised his morality, humility and reasoning.

Pezeshkian said mutual understanding becomes easier when officials openly raise different issues before the supreme leader. He accused some people of using the supreme leader's message on the US-Iran memorandum of understanding as a pretext to create domestic divisions. On June 17, US President Donald Trump and Pezeshkian signed a 14-point memorandum aimed at implementing a ceasefire, lifting a naval blockade and ending ongoing military operations.

Although he initially had some reservations, Mojtaba Khamenei later publicly supported the memorandum. Pezeshkian said Iran's adversaries were trying to fuel public dissatisfaction and protests by increasing sanctions and military pressure. He described the present period as Iran's most difficult since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The memorandum was signed in June through Pakistani mediation after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April.