Ghalibaf: US must be punished and change its behavior

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament and head of the Iranian negotiating team, said that both military action and negotiations are tools for achieving lasting deterrence, stressing that the United States must be punished for violating its commitments and accept the Iranian people’s legitimate demands.

Speaking in a televised interview on Wednesday evening, October 14, Ghalibaf addressed the US proposal, saying, “The US president made commitments but has now violated them and broken his promises. The United States must be punished and change its behavior. It must be made to understand that it has to come to terms with the Iranian people and accept their legitimate demands.”

Ghalibaf stressed that military strength is not the only factor in deterrence, pointing to a broader range of domestic and regional capabilities.

He cited improvements in Iran’s firepower, offensive capabilities and air defenses as key military components, saying these capabilities had increased between the 12-day war and the most recent conflict. He also highlighted the capabilities of regional resistance groups, Iran’s strategic position overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, national unity, and economic and social resilience.

The parliament speaker said the goal was to make Iran strong enough that the United States and other regional and international actors could not achieve their objectives through military attacks.

Ghalibaf said Iran must be prepared to defend itself with full force when necessary while using diplomatic opportunities to consolidate military gains and protect national interests.

He argued that military victories should be translated into political and legal gains, while negotiations should provide Iran with the time and resources needed to strengthen its capabilities.

Referring to Tehran’s distrust of Washington’s commitment to its obligations, Ghalibaf said the memorandum of understanding with the United States had been structured in two stages. Under this approach, he said, Iran first established a strategic advantage through military preparedness and then compelled Washington to accept the agreement.

Ghalibaf emphasized that combining war and negotiations did not mean pursuing an endless war or engaging in permanent negotiations. Rather, he said, the objective was to compel the other side to accept Iran’s demands or, if it refused, acknowledge defeat and grant concessions that would allow Iran to strengthen its deterrence capabilities.

He concluded by stressing the need to maintain national unity and strengthen Iran’s military, economic and diplomatic capabilities. He said the country must use its existing resources to ease the economic pressures facing the public and turn current hardships into a more promising future.