In Tehran’s latest signal that it will not blink, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the country is not looking to negotiate with the United States and Israel.
As the war enters its 11th day, Iran has struggled to mount an effective response to the blistering U.S.-Israeli air and missile strikes that have devastated its military. Despite this, Ghalibaf said the government was not seeking negotiations and hinted that Tehran would somehow hit its enemies with heavy military force.
“Absolutely, we are not seeking a ceasefire; we believe we must strike the aggressor in the mouth so that it learns a lesson and never again even thinks of aggressing against our dear Iran,” Ghalibaf said on X. “The Zionist regime sees its ignoble existence in perpetuating the cycle of ‘war-negotiation-ceasefire and then war again’ in order to consolidate its domination. We will break this cycle.”
Ghalibaf, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, is a longtime leader of Iran’s conservative faction, known as the “principlists.” He has consistently advocated for hardline policies against the U.S. and Israel, and played a central role in ordering the massacre of tens of thousands of protesters in January.