Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, has accused the United States of “secretly planning a ground invasion” while publicly offering negotiations, declaring that Iranian forces are prepared to inflict “devastation” on American troops and permanently punish Washington’s regional allies.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, has accused the United States of “secretly planning a ground invasion” while publicly offering negotiations, declaring that Iranian forces are prepared to inflict “devastation” on American troops and permanently punish Washington’s regional allies.
Speaking on the 30th day of the US-Israeli war with Iran, Ghalibaf said that by offering talks, the United States was hoping to achieve through diplomacy what it had “failed to achieve” through war.
He noted that the enemy “publicly sends messages of negotiation while secretly planning a ground invasion, unaware that our men are waiting for American troops to enter on the ground, ready to unleash devastation upon them and punish their regional allies permanently.”
Ghalibaf added that the United States “speaks of its aspirations, presenting what it failed to achieve in war as a 15-point list to pursue through diplomacy.”
In a message of defiance, he declared, “As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, the answer of your sons remains clear: ‘Far be it from us to accept humiliation.’”
The remarks come as Pakistan hosts discussions today between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia with the aim of de-escalating the conflict.
Meanwhile, the USS Tripoli, carrying 3,500 US service members, has arrived in the Middle East, according to US Central Command, as the Pentagon weighs its next steps.
