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According to a report by Al Jazeera, on Saturday June 13, 2026, A prominent Iranian religious authority has fired a sharp warning shot at Tehran’s negotiating team engaged in talks with the United States, insisting that projecting strength is not optional but essential if Iran hopes to secure an agreement on its own terms.
Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, a senior member of the Leadership Council of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, delivered the caution through Iran’s semi-state Tasnim news agency, making clear that the negotiating team must remain anchored within the red lines and directives issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We must demonstrate our power to them; otherwise, they will not agree to our conditions through these talks,” Araki stated pointedly, framing strength not as aggression but as a necessary diplomatic posture if Iran is to extract meaningful concessions from Washington.
The senior cleric stopped short of condemning the talks outright, instead framing success as contingent on strict adherence to the supreme leader’s guidance.
“God willing, they will succeed by acting within the framework defined by the supreme leader,” he said, offering cautious optimism while reinforcing the limits he expects negotiators to observe.
Araki’s remarks reflect a wider current of skepticism flowing through Iran’s conservative religious establishment regarding the utility and safety of engaging with the United States.
Hardline clerics have long warned that American negotiators use diplomatic forums to extract concessions while offering little of substance in return.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has signaled that a memorandum of understanding between Islamabad and another party could be finalized within the next 24 hours.
