Khamenei’s letter checks Rouhani, asserts authority over Iran nuclear deal

Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei has the power to at any time cancel the nuclear deal with world powers, analysts said on Oct. 25.

Yigal Carmon, the president of the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), and Ayelet Savyon, the head of the institute’s Iran desk, wrote in an analysis that Khamenei, in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani, essentially granted himself the power to void the deal.

Carmon and Savyon write that Khamenei is ultimately looking to stall implementation of the agreement in order to hurt Iran’s moderates, headed by Hashemi Rafsanjani and Rouhani, and their chances in February 2016 Majlis and Assembly of Experts elections.