Why Iranians Reject Pakistan-Backed US Deal
- 6 days ago
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Nationwide protests erupted in Iran against ongoing peace talks with Washington, while authorities announced July funeral ceremonies for Khamenei.
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, June 14: The ongoing peace talks with Washington triggered nationwide protests in Iran on Saturday. A massive crowd gathered outside the Foreign Ministry in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city, to voice opposition to the proposed deal, which many Iranians view as overly compromising. Protesters chanted slogans against Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who had conceded that under the new agreement, "the administration of the Strait of Hormuz will no longer be the same as before." Some demonstrators even demanded the death penalty for the foreign minister.
Protesters believe the Iranian negotiating team, including Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, folded under pressure. US President Donald J. Trump said that his deal would prevent Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons.
"My Agreement with Iran is the exact opposite, A WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON! In fact, they no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement," Trump said.
Hardliners view these concessions as deeply humiliating, arguing that Iran gave up its hard-earned nuclear and strategic capabilities in exchange for the lifting of the US naval blockade.
Because the deal was strongly pushed by US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a swift signing, Iranian hardliners felt cornered and took to the streets in an attempt to derail or delegitimise the agreement before it could be officially finalised.
Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei Funeral
While the protests continue, funeral processions for Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were announced on Saturday. According to Iran's state-run news agency, the ceremonies will be held in July, as mediators say an agreement to end the war is close.
The funeral, burial, and farewell ceremonies for Khamenei will take place between July 4 and 9, Iran's state-run television channel IRIB reported.
Khamenei was killed in the opening salvo of the war that Israel and the United States launched against Iran in late February. He was subsequently replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is widely seen as even less compromising.
