Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday signalled a dual-track approach to the ongoing tensions with the United States, asserting that Tehran is open to diplomacy even as it remains on high military alert. In a televised address, Ghalibaf claimed that Iran had prevailed on the battlefield and was now prepared to pursue negotiations from a position of strength.
At the same time, he issued a sharp warning against any escalation, saying Iran would respond decisively to any provocation. “We are fully prepared — if they make the slightest mistake, we will respond with full force,” Ghalibaf said, signalling a hardline stance even as ceasefire efforts remain fragile.
He added that Iran’s capabilities have advanced markedly compared to earlier conflicts. “We are definitely a head and shoulders above the past in offensive capabilities and design in the third imposed war, and we saw this on the battlefield," he said.
Ghalibaf acknowledged that the United States holds an advantage in terms of resources and experience but argued that Iran’s planning has allowed it to effectively counter its adversaries.
“We are not militarily stronger than America. It is clear that they have more money, equipment, and resources, and because they have carried out so many aggressions around the world, they also have more experience than us," he said.
Ghalibaf described the conflict as an asymmetric war, saying Iran relied on its own planning and preparedness to counter opponents with greater resources.
“We fought in an asymmetric war in such a way that, with our own design and preparedness, we pushed the enemy back. The enemy had money and resources, but did not act correctly in design," he said.
He also pointed to what he called strategic miscalculations by Iran’s adversaries. “They make mistakes in strategic decisions. They are wrong about our people, just as they are wrong in their military design," he said.
Referring to Israel as “America’s servant and agent in the region," Ghalibaf accused Washington of relying on Israeli inputs despite its stated policy priorities.
“The US government claims that ‘America First’ is important to it, but in practice, it has shown that Israel is first for it, because it makes decisions based on false information from Israel," he said.
Ghalibaf also claimed that Iran’s adversaries had sought to weaken the country economically but failed in their objectives. “The enemy sought regime change and to ‘Venezuelanise’ Iran in order to auction off our oil, but it failed," he said.
