Tehran [Iran], August 19 : Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf slammed senior US officials over Washington's approach to negotiations with Tehran, alleging that the US believes increasing economic or military pressure on Iran would force Tehran to accept concessions beyond the existing agreement.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf hit out at US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, saying both were "way out of their league" in seeking to exert economic and military pressure on the Islamic Republic and arguing that such tactics would not force Tehran to accept additional concessions.
He further urged the US leadership to stop relying on its officials to resolve the situation and instead take responsibility for the problems it had created.
"Americans think squeezing Iran harder will win concessions that were never part of the agreement. Bessent and Hegseth are way out of their league. Stop waiting for the clown crew to pull a rabbit out of their hat and clean up the mess you made," his post read.
https://x.com/mb_ghalibaf/status/2089759296376480003
His remarks came amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the implementation of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June, which was aimed at paving the way for technical talks to resolve the conflict in West Asia.
Addressing the 180th open session of Iran's 12th Parliament, Ghalibaf accused Washington of attempting to weaken Iran through economic pressure and social divisions, saying the US had failed to achieve its objectives through military and diplomatic means.
He said the time had come for Iran's military and diplomatic tracks to work together in response to what he described as US violations of its commitments.
"The time has come for the military field to once again stand alongside the diplomatic field and provide a practical response to the enemy's breach of covenant," he said.
Ghalibaf, who is also leading Iran's negotiating team, said Tehran would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed until Washington fulfils commitments under the MoU, including lifting sanctions, ending the blockade, releasing frozen assets and stopping military threats.
"Until America's commitments in the memorandum of understanding are implemented, the Strait will not be opened," he said.
The Iranian Parliament Speaker also warned that Iran was prepared for further escalation if the US continued what Tehran considers aggressive actions.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to impose a heavier defeat on the enemy in proportion to its actions and aggressions," he said.