Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Says Iran Rejects Surrender Negotiations Amid U.S. Ceasefire Violations

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran’s approach merges military strength with diplomacy to secure rights, stressing that Iran “firmly rejects entering any negotiations from a position of surrender.”

Ghalibaf said the recent escalation was driven by “violations of the ceasefire and the naval blockade,” accusing the United States of flagrantly violating understandings.

Al Jazeera

He added that Tehran’s goal is not to normalize relations with Washington but to “work toward ending wars and achieving sustainable security for the country” by coordinating four arenas: the military arena, the diplomatic arena, the arena of the people’s resilience, and the arena of serving the people.

In the same framework, Ghalibaf said progress in negotiations should run “in parallel with on-the-ground operations,” and he described diplomacy as a “gateway to failure” if it is treated as mere smiles rather than a planned continuation of confrontation.

Commander of the Quds Force Esmaeil Qaani, according to the same report, revealed plans to create a new security belt for the resistance extending from the Strait of Hormuz to Bab al-Mandeb and from the Gulf to the Red Sea.

In a fourth audio message directed to the Iranian people, Ghalibaf said the Americans’ naval blockade and their “violating the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon” were a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire,” and he argued that U.S. statements about the memorandum of understanding contradicted agreed terms.

He told listeners that “we should respond with a decisive reply in defense of the Iranian people’s rights,” and the report says he linked that response to armed forces carrying out their duty with force.

Al-Jazeera Net

Watan News reported that Ghalibaf said Iran will prevent aggression against Lebanon “whether through threatening to launch an attack, or by cutting off negotiations, or even through a direct attack.”

The same Watan account said Ghalibaf attributed the tensions to the Americans’ “blatant violation of the Lebanon ceasefire and the naval blockade on Iran,” and it framed Iran’s stance as not being forced to choose between war and negotiation.

The Anadolu Ajansı report added that after unsuccessful talks with the United States in Islamabad, Ghalibaf wrote on X that “we do not trust the other side,” while describing the United States as unable to win the Iranian delegation’s trust in that round.

PressTV reported that Ghalibaf described Iran’s approach as a “diplomacy of strength” backed by battlefield victory, saying negotiations were conducted from a position of strength rather than retreat.

“Ghalibaf: The United States Could Not Win Iran’s Trust; Power Diplomacy Continues The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, referencing the lack of agreement between Tehran and Washington in Islamabad, stressed that given past experiences, the United States could not win the Iranian delegation’s trust”

Anadolu Ajansı

He said, “When I speak of negotiation and diplomacy, I mean a diplomacy of strength,” and he argued that negotiations served as a method of struggle rather than a sign of surrender.

The report says Iran and the US were scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding in Switzerland on Friday following a ceasefire announced by Trump on April 7, and it tied the timing to Iran’s retaliation and the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz in reprisal.

PressTV also quoted Ghalibaf saying, “All these events took place while we were negotiating at the same time,” describing simultaneous military readiness and diplomatic contacts in the Persian Gulf.

In the same account, Ghalibaf said Lebanon was a key issue in negotiations and that Iran insisted cessation of aggression should encompass all fronts, including Lebanon, while maintaining readiness to respond militarily.