The New York Times, citing four people familiar with the talks, reports Iranian
President Pezeshkian visited Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei during final
negotiations after Khamenei hesitated to approve a preliminary U.S.-Iran
ceasefire. Pezeshkian told Khamenei the U.S. maritime blockade was choking
Iran’s economy and said he would resign if the deal was rejected; central bank
governor Abdolnaser Hemmati warned in a letter of a severe budget crisis, saying
key food and medical supplies would be exhausted by end‑August if the blockade
continued and that Iran could not sell oil at required volumes or find
alternative trade routes. Those interventions were cited as pivotal in
Khamenei’s eventual support; Khamenei said he opposed the deal in principle but
instructed the president to proceed if the Supreme National Security Council
backed it — Pezeshkian said the council approved the agreement 12‑1.
