Tehran: Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said there would be no opening of the Strait of Hormuz until Iran's seven conditions were met, adding that Tehran must pursue both military action and negotiations at the appropriate time.
While addressing the Iranian Parliament, Ghalibaf said, "We believe that the duality of war or negotiation is not real, but that we must both fight and negotiate. We must fight sensibly and decisively and negotiate with authority and rationality at the right time."Ghalibaf said Iran must use its military power to push back its adversary and consolidate battlefield gains through diplomacy.
"That is, at the right moment, with all the military power we have, we must push back the enemy and deal him fatal blows. But when we have achieved a significant field victory, and the enemy is weak, we must consolidate these advantages with the tools of diplomacy until we reach the stage of deterrence by imposing defeat on the enemy and also strengthening the components of our power," he said.He said Iran's positions in the diplomatic arena were "completely clear, rational, and non-negotiable", adding that its conditions had been conveyed to the other side through mediators.
"Today, in the diplomatic arena, our positions are completely clear, rational, and non-negotiable. The transmission of messages and explanation of our conditions through mediators has been done explicitly to the other side, and the enemy knows very well that the path of deception and unilateral imposition is closed," Ghalibaf said.
He further said the Strait of Hormuz would not be reopened until Iran's conditions were fulfilled, including recognition of what he called the legitimate rights of the Iranian people and implementation of US commitments.
"And until these conditions are fulfilled, the legitimate rights of the Iranian people are recognised, and the commitments of the Americans are implemented, there will be no opening for returning to the previous conditions of negotiation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz," the Parliament Speaker added.Ghalibaf's remarks come as Iran has conveyed seven conditions to the United States through Qatari mediators for starting negotiations to end the ongoing war, while warning that Tehran is prepared for a “decisive war” if Washington rejects its demands.
He also said that the “old American order” in West Asia has collapsed, while identifying that “two strategic errors" in Iran’s political and elite circles could undermine the country's ability to respond to the ongoing conflict.
Addressing the Iranian Parliament, Ghalibaf said that Iran had demonstrated during the past seven months that it would not remain passive in the face of aggression, while stressing that Tehran's approach was aimed at advancing its interests and imposing the will of the Iranian people.
"In the past seven months, we have shown that we are not tied up in the face of aggression. Our logic in confronting the enemy is to advance intelligently and impose the will of the Iranian people. But unfortunately, in the elite and political atmosphere of the country, there are two strategic errors that both simplify reality," he said.
Ghalibaf said the first error was an approach that advocated war without defining a mechanism or horizon for ending it, while the second involved underestimating Iran's national capabilities and moving towards acceptance of what he described as unilateral terms imposed by an adversary.
"First, a view that speaks of war but has no horizon or mechanism for its authoritative end. By denying any interaction and diplomacy, this view practically leads the country towards erosion and endless war without calculating the possibilities. At the opposite end is a trend that makes the mistake of underestimating national power; it considers Iran weak and, by instilling fear, twists the version of surrender and acceptance of the enemy’s unilateral terms," the head of Iran's Negotiating Team said.