Iran’s Ghalibaf calls US deal an ‘American declaration of defeat’

Iran’s Ghalibaf calls US deal an ‘American declaration of defeat’ Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has described the agreement reached with the United States to end the regional war as an “American declaration of defeat”. Speaking at a conference in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, on Wednesday, Ghalibaf said the Islamabad understanding, finalised through Pakistani mediation, was not achieved through “pressure and coercion”, but through the “resistance and authority” of the Iranian people. Ghalibaf, who also serves as Iran’s parliament speaker, said Tehran viewed the withdrawal of foreign military forces from the Middle East as a strategic objective, arguing that their presence was a source of instability rather than lasting security. “We see the future of the region not in confrontation but in interaction, and not in elimination but in coexistence,” he said, in an apparent overture to Gulf states targeted by Iranian strikes during the war. Ghalibaf also reiterated that ending the war in Lebanon was a central condition for reaching a final agreement with Washington. “For us, the ceasefire in Lebanon has been and remains as important as the ceasefire in Iran,” he said.