Qalibaf: We both fight and negotiate to establish lasting deterrence

Pars Today – The Speaker of Iran’s Majlis (Parliament) has stressed that when he says “we will both fight and negotiate,” he does not mean engaging in an endless war or perpetual negotiations. Rather, he said, the aim is to wage war in a way that leaves the enemy at a loss and forces it to accept the legitimate demands of the Iranian people.

According to Pars Today, citing the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, made the remarks during a televised video address to the Iranian people on Wednesday night.

“If we think that we should only fight, escalate tensions, and exhaust the enemy and the United States in this way, will that make them abandon further attacks and threats and regret their actions? Certainly not,” he said. “As our martyred leader said, they have come to devour Iran. They have always claimed to have interests in the Persian Gulf, and they will remain here as long as they seek to achieve their goals and interests.”

Iran’s parliament speaker emphasized that the country must become strong enough for the United States, the international community, and regional countries to understand that they cannot achieve their objectives against Iran. “That is when we will achieve lasting deterrence,” he said.

“Deterrence is established by becoming so powerful that we demonstrate our strength to all regional and global actors, leaving no one daring to attack us,” Qalibaf added.

He said no one should dare to attack Iran, adding that anyone who entertained such an idea should learn from experience and recognize that Iran is powerful and cannot be confronted or stood against successfully.

Qalibaf stated that Iran’s strength must become firmly established in the minds of its adversaries. Iran itself must be strong and believe in its capabilities, while its adversaries must also recognize that strength. “To achieve this goal, we will both fight and negotiate,” he said.

Qalibaf added that when the US president signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the international community viewed Iran as having won the war. He said Iran had secured a victory on the battlefield and consolidated it politically and legally.

“This widespread perception helped strengthen our deterrence,” he said.

The parliament speaker stressed that Iran must always be prepared to fight when necessary and negotiate at the appropriate time. He said both war and negotiations are tools for achieving deterrence, adding that lasting deterrence is the only way to keep threats away from the country.

Referring to the proposal that has been put forward, Qalibaf said: “We have said it before, and we say it again: The US president made commitments and then violated them. The United States has broken its promises and must be punished. It must change its behavior and understand clearly that it must reach an accommodation with the Iranian people and accept their legitimate demands.”