Ahmad Alamolhoda, Friday Prayer Imam of Mashhad, said in the sermons of Friday prayers in this city: “Unfortunately, some of our dear people, in their referring to and negotiations with the United States, adopt a posture, through which the United States takes advantage of the situation and spreads it in the world—so that these people want negotiations and need negotiations and the end of the war, not us.”

Alamolhoda continued: “This is not a good idea, and these posturing gestures are wrong. Regarding the matter of those dear people who went to New York, the Leader’s position did not allow negotiations and only instructed that you announce these seven conditions to the United States. His order concerned the announcement of conditions, not negotiations. The people who negotiated there acted contrary to the Leader’s instructions.”

The Friday Prayer Imam of Mashhad added: “The secretary of the Supreme National Security Council also stated this, that the Leader’s order only concerned announcing and communicating the conditions to the United States, and it had not given permission for negotiations.”