U.S. wondering how to appease Iran's supreme leader with nuke deadline bearing down

Strict terms set by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on his country’s nuclear program this week rattled Western governments and staunch supporters of the White House’s negotiations with Tehran just days ahead of a diplomatic deadline.

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Mr. Khamenei’s hard-line positions, announced in a nationally televised speech, appeared to back away from commitments his negotiators made in April to restrain parts of Iran’s nuclear program and to allow international inspections of the country’s military sites.

U.S. and European officials said they believed Mr. Khamenei was publicly asserting himself ahead of the June 30 deadline in a bid to extract more concessions from the Obama administration and its negotiating partners.

But there is concern in Washington and Europe that Iran’s paramount political leader may be boxing in his own diplomats by establishing terms they can’t deliver on.

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