Ghalibaf: Only Those Ready for War Can Negotiate With the US
Iran's parliament speaker says Tehran holds no trust in Washington and will never submit to pressure
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that Tehran harbours no trust in the United States, arguing that only a party prepared for war is in a position to negotiate with Washington.
Ghalibaf made the remarks on Friday in Mashhad during a meeting with Ahmad Muzani, chairman of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly. Recalling last month’s indirect talks with the United States in Switzerland — mediated by Pakistan and Qatar — he said he had told the US vice president plainly that Iran did not trust the American side. In his view, he added, only those who are ready for war can sit down to negotiate with the United States.
‘The nation will never submit’
Ghalibaf, who serves as Iran’s top negotiator in the talks, stressed that the country had never sought war but was bound to resist rather than surrender to oppression, and that the Iranian nation would never submit.
The United States, Israel, and NATO, he said, had imagined before the war that began on February 28 that they could force Iran into submission — but had quickly found their objectives out of reach, and the world had seen them fail. The Iranian nation, he argued, had shattered US hegemony in the 40-day war, as economic, political, and media pressures left Washington and Tel Aviv desperate and ultimately drove the United States to seek a ceasefire.
Even after the signing of the war-ending memorandum of understanding (MoU), Ghalibaf said, Iran had never paused its preparations to defend itself. Should the Americans betray the understanding at any moment, he warned, Iran was ready for an all-out defence, and would stand firm to reclaim the rights of its people. Ending the war was a priority for all countries, he added, but everyone should understand that the conflict would never conclude with Iran’s surrender.
A call for Muslim unity
Ghalibaf called on Muslim countries and nations to stand united against the United States and Israel, pointing to Iran’s own experience as proof that success on that path is possible. Muslim nations, he said, must come to recognise the need to stand against Washington and the Israeli regime, as the Islamic Republic had shown could be done.
He also thanked the Indonesian government, parliament, and people for the sympathy they had expressed over the martyrdom of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, describing Indonesia as a pioneering nation in its opposition to arrogance and its stand against Israel.
For his part, Muzani voiced Indonesia’s support for efforts to end the war between Iran and the United States, saying his country believed the Iranian people sought peace and stability. He also underlined the importance of deepening bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic sphere.