The ongoing negotiations between Iran and the US did not resolve the two countries’ mistrust for one another, but have deepened their understanding of each other, Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said in an interview with Iranian television on Sunday.
Some of the main disagreements during the talks, Ghalibaf said, were focused on the Strait of Hormuz and nuclear issues.
“We have always sought normalization of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, and we still do,” he emphasized. “If it was stopped now, it was because the ceasefire had not been fully established in Lebanon.”
He added that it is impossible that others would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while Iranian ships could not.
“They wanted to attack under the pretext of opening the Strait of Hormuz, but NATO and others did not help them,” Ghalibaf said. “In this scene, by their own admission and the world public opinion, we are victorious.”
Ghalibaf admitted that Iran was not as strong as the US in terms of military resources, but claimed that, nevertheless, Iran had won the war.
“Equipment and resources are important, but they are not always decisive,” he said. “With design and preparedness, we were able to advance the war. The enemy is wrong about our nation and military design… That is why Trump is asking for a ceasefire. Because the enemy’s goals have not been achieved. He wanted to conquer Iran in two to three days; today, we have fought for more than 40 days and he has been forced to ask for a ceasefire.”
“When Trump gave an ultimatum and threatened to strike our infrastructure, we said we would strike infrastructure too. He said he would create hell; we said if you create hell, first it will be for American families and the rest of the world. Yes, we will be affected, but before that, it will be on you,” Ghalibaf said.
Lebanon must be included in ceasefire, Iran says
One of the conditions for the ceasefire which had come under discussion had been the inclusion of Lebanon.
“For years, Hezbollah has been fighting with the Zionist regime, but in the recent war, Hezbollah fought for the Islamic Republic,” Ghalibaf explained. “The resistance front came to the aid of the Islamic Republic. Therefore, the establishment of a ceasefire must include them too, and this was Iran’s condition for a ceasefire in the region.”
Ghaibaf also discussed the attempt by the United States to mine the Strait of Hormuz, saying that Iran had considered it a violation of the ceasefire.
“In Islamabad, I told the American delegation that if their mine-clearers moved even slightly beyond their position, we would definitely fire at them,” he explained. “They asked for 15 minutes to give orders to withdraw, and they did.”
Ghalibaf called US President Donald Trump a “master of lying and psychological warfare.”
“Yesterday he tweeted eight times, and seven of those were lies,” he said.
Source:
www.jpost.com
