Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday evening that Iran never sought war but is always ready to fight, while also calling for diplomacy and negotiation. He asserted that Iranian military forces have full freedom of action to respond to enemy aggression, according to N12.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a new statement Wednesday evening, striking a dual tone of military readiness and diplomatic openness. "We never asked for war, but we are always ready to fight for our interests," Ghalibaf said, according to Israeli media outlet N12. He also emphasized the need to use diplomacy and negotiation, while asserting that Iran's military forces have "full freedom of action to deal with enemy aggression."
The statement comes just minutes after Ghalibaf's earlier declaration that Iran is in an "existential war" with the United States, as reported by The Zioneer. The new remarks appear to moderate the earlier rhetoric, presenting diplomacy as a complementary tool alongside military deterrence.
Ghalibaf, a senior hardliner who also heads Iran's nuclear negotiation team, has made a series of statements in recent weeks oscillating between bellicose threats and gestures toward negotiation. The shifting tone reflects internal debates within the Iranian regime over how to balance military pressure with diplomatic engagement, especially as talks with the US continue.
The remarks were reported by N12's the source and have not been independently verified.
3 developments
- StrongIranian parliament speaker warns US: 'Our armed forces are ready to respond differently'
- StrongIranian parliament speaker says diplomacy and military action are complementary, not contradictory
- DevelopingIranian Speaker Ghalibaf warns: 'We speak other languages far more fluently'
- DevelopingIranian Speaker Ghalibaf: Diplomacy achieved more than military action could
Source and signal
- Internal intake