Ghalibaf: We made progress in the negotiations but the gaps are large
Tehran - BORNA - Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf said in a televised interview: I offer my condolences to the dear and honorable people of Iran and the intelligent, insightful, brave and punctual nation and all the families who lost their loved ones, children and friends.
It is the right of the people to know and be informed
He continued: God willing, we will act in a way that we are not indebted to these dear and proud people; I thank God Almighty for the opportunity to speak to my dear people today. Of course, it would have been better to speak to our dear people sooner, but in reality, my busy schedule and less work pressure gave me this opportunity; I believe that it is the right of the people to know and be informed.
Ghalibaf said about the war situation and Iran's position in this war: The third imposed war also started with the cunning of America in the middle of negotiations, and in these two wars, a number of commanders and security forces and our martyred Imam were martyred and showed their criminal nature.
Stating that we used the experience of the 12-day war, he added: In the 12-day war, there was a 14-hour delay in our reaction, but in the third imposed war, despite the fact that the commander-in-chief, the commander of the IRGC, and the chief of general staff were martyred and it could have caused a disruption, our reaction was carried out in the shortest possible time and with precision.
We have a solid structure
Stating that "we used the past experience and we have a solid structure," Ghalibaf said: Our great Imam and martyred Imam always said, "Don't think that the revolution, Iran, and the country depend on us, but rather on God and the nation, and things will continue to progress even in our absence."
He continued: A few days before his martyrdom, our martyred Imam said on the anniversary of the martyrs of the revolution that if we are not there, God will send the people; today, after 49 days of the war, we understood the meaning of this statement and these words of the martyred Imam became tangible that the people themselves became the messengers, the Imam and the nation and God guided them.
Ghalibaf stated: I had said many times that if a war occurs, we will be more powerful in terms of quantity and quality in the field of offense and in the field of design than in the past; the enemy did not believe it, but he saw it in the field.
He continued: Today, our people are more prepared than in the previous war, so that now it is nearly 50 nights that people are on the streets every day. In the technical field, we hit about 180 drones, which we did not have such a capability in the previous war in the field of defense. All these events have happened in a few months.
He added: In the future, I will say what a miracle the revolution and this Supreme Leader have done in the field of symmetrical warfare and scientific advances; everyone saw it and the enemy commented, the F-35 gene is not an accident, but rather a laborious and operational effort in various technical and design dimensions. With the missile that exploded near the aircraft (F-35), the enemy understood what our capabilities are and what direction we are heading.
We are winning the field in this war
Ghalibaf stated: From the first war to the second war, planning was carried out and capabilities were demonstrated, but this does not mean that we are stronger than America in military power. It is clear that the Americans have more money, equipment, and facilities than us because they have constantly committed crimes and invaded the world, and their experience is greater than ours. The Zionist regime, which is America’s servant and agent in the region, also has great power.
We repelled the enemy with our own planning and preparation
He continued: Sometimes we see our dear people say that we destroyed them, no! We did not destroy them. We are the winners in this war. Equipment, facilities and money are certainly effective in war and victory, but this is not always the case. We fought in an asymmetric war in such a way that we repelled the enemy with our own design and preparation. The enemy had money and facilities, but did not act correctly in its design. They make wrong decisions strategically and strategically. They make mistakes regarding our people, just as they make mistakes in their military design.
Trump calls for a ceasefire
The Speaker of the Parliament stated: The US government claims to be "America first", but in practice it has shown that "Israel first" is important to it; because Israel makes decisions with false information. Sometimes I hear from the people of Azir and even the national media that they say that we have destroyed all their military power, so let's go and destroy the rest and not negotiate, but let's pay attention to the fact that we definitely have the advantage in the field, and that is why Trump is calling for a ceasefire.
Regarding why we say that we are successful, he said: We must examine the enemy's goals. If the enemy does not achieve its goals, it has failed because it has invaded. The enemy's goal was to surrender Iran and talked about a two- or three-day war, but we fought for 40 days and the enemy was forced to establish a ceasefire in 40 days, so it could not surrender us.
Ghalibaf continued: "The enemy thought that Iran was Venezuela and acted like Venezuela and after a few days it would take our oil and everyone who wants oil can take it from the Persian Gulf."
He added: "In the first days, the enemy said that he would destroy Iran's missile power by bombing, but he realized that it was the frequency of our fire and the accuracy of our shots. No matter how much he bombed, he could not destroy our offensive power. In the previous series, we were vulnerable in launchers, but this time the power and diversity of our fire were clear.
The enemy decided to launch a ground attack but failed
Ghalibaf added: "In Isfahan, they faced a worse disaster than the Tabas disaster. The enemy planned to support the counter-revolution from our western and eastern borders, and he even said that he had given them weapons. Every attempt the enemy made was unsuccessful. The enemy sought internal unrest before and after the war, but he could not do this. Also, the enemy decided to launch a ground attack, but he could not."
He continued: The enemy tried to open and seize the Strait of Hormuz, invited NATO and the world, but no one responded and he himself could not, so it is clear that we are victorious in this arena, which the enemy also admits, but this is different from saying that we destroyed their army.
The field, the street and diplomacy are together
The Speaker of the Parliament emphasized: Today, we have authority in the square, the street and diplomacy, and there should be no separation between these three areas. They are all considered one area and are together.
He continued: Today, we achieved success in the military field. Sometimes we need to maneuver and move correctly in these areas. Now we are at a maximum point in the military field, and today the street has made us stand strong in the square.
Ghalibaf emphasized: Today, the enemy cannot impose its will on us, and we must also be able to secure the rights of the nation in the sense that we have achieved it in the military field and must consolidate it legally and politically. This is where diplomacy of authority must come to the fore and take up the flag.
Negotiation is a method of struggle
He reiterated: The enemy was seeking a ceasefire, and if we accepted the ceasefire, it was because they would give in to our demands. All the enemy’s efforts were to impose their demands on us. It is important that we register our rights, so this is where negotiation is a method of struggle.
Ghalibaf continued: I ask the people to maintain the field, and our main goal should be the flag of victory and the consolidation of the rights of the nation. Rest assured that there will be no compromise in the field of diplomacy, and we are moving forward within this framework. The Iranian nation has materialized the concept of national will and determination and demonstrated it to the whole world.
We have no trust in the enemy
He stated: As long as we were pursuing the work in the field and military sphere, we were standing firm and today we are standing firm, meaning if the enemy makes a mistake at any moment, we are ready because we have no trust in the enemy and even at this moment we are sitting here, he may start a war; therefore, the armed forces are fully prepared. It is not that the armed forces are not ready now that we are negotiating, but just as the people are in the streets, our armed forces are also ready.
Ghalibaf stated: When the enemy could not impose his demands on us through military power, he went looking for a message because despite his ultimatums, he realized that we are standing firm in the field and we are still standing. Today we are even stronger than before and if something happens, we will be strong.
Transferring Trump’s message to Iran through different countries
He said: The enemy started sending messages through different countries; The enemy was sending a set of 15 points to Iran through different countries, two or three channels, to negotiate, until this set of 15 points was sent to Iran through Pakistan, the Prime Minister and the Commander of the Pakistani Army. This issue was thoroughly examined in the Supreme National Security Council.
Ghalibaf said: This issue was related to the 36th or 37th day of the war. We were doing our work in the field and Trump gave an ultimatum and threatened to hit the infrastructure. We said you are doing wrong, but if you hit the infrastructure, we will hit the infrastructure too. He said we will create hell for you, to which we replied that if you hit the hell, this hell will first be for American families and the rest of the world. Yes, we will be harmed too, but before that, you will be harmed. All this made Trump passive and unable to make a decision, and then he would give messages.
The Speaker of the Parliament said: When the infrastructure is hit, it means our infrastructure and the infrastructure of the places where the Americans are stationed will be hit. In this situation, the countries of the region will suffer. If our oil wells are going to be attacked and we are not going to use the oil, why should the Americans use the oil and then say, "Make this Venezuela and take the oil;" at this time, we would not have talked about negotiations.
He recalled: The 15-point proposals were officially sent to us through Pakistan, namely the Prime Minister and the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistani Army, and these issues were discussed in the Supreme National Security Council, and all these issues were transferred to the leadership and reflected and decisions were made.
Ghalibaf continued: "Finally, it was concluded on 10 points, which included the demands, goals, and rights of the nation in these 10 points. We transferred these points to Pakistan and said that we do not accept 15 points and that these 10 points are acceptable to us. We said that if the United States has a say in 10 points, it is negotiable. At that time, we had not yet talked to the Americans.
All matters were transferred to the leadership and at the moment
He added: Pakistan, as a mediator, transferred these matters to the Americans. Of course, the Americans proposed 9 points, but we insisted on our 10 points. In the end, the United States agreed to discuss these matters and said that a temporary ceasefire should be given to start negotiations. Right now, they are saying that there are a few days left until the ceasefire ends and the issue is finalized, but our opinions were not met in some cases and we did not accept. However, at the same time, we told Pakistan, as a mediator, that we have given our opinions and if the United States is seeking a ceasefire, Trump should announce in his tweet that he is requesting a ceasefire so that everyone knows that the ceasefire request came from them and this is diplomacy of authority.
Ghalibaf stated: We were victorious in the field and the enemy had not achieved any of its 9 goals, and Iran also dominated the Strait of Hormuz.
He explained: Hezbollah has been fighting the Zionist regime for years, but the recent war that Hezbollah started was started for the sake of Iran. The Resistance Front came to the aid of Iran, so the ceasefire had to include them, and one of Iran’s conditions was a ceasefire in the region, that is, Iran and the Resistance Front.
The head of the negotiating team recalled: In his tweet, the Pakistani Prime Minister also mentioned Lebanon and Hezbollah in Lebanon when calling for a ceasefire. Of course, they had other ideas and it took some time, but when we went to Pakistan, a ceasefire was announced in Lebanon, but it was not implemented properly. I also posted a tweet that the United States is obliged to complete and consolidate the ceasefire in Lebanon for Hezbollah. They also asked us to normalize traffic in the Strait of Hormuz if this ceasefire occurred in Lebanon.
He added: "I would like to emphasize that we have always sought normalization of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and we are still doing so. If it has stopped now, it was because the ceasefire was not fully established in Lebanon until the ceasefire was established and the strait was opened."
Dear people of Iran, the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the Iranian Armed Forces
The Speaker of the Parliament addressed the people and said: Dear people of Iran, the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of the Islamic Republic of Iran. On the other hand, we want the people of the world and those who did not act on the side of the enemy and did not treat us with hostility in this war to pass through the strait easily. We do not want to put pressure on the people of the world and increase insecurity; never."
He continued: "In such a situation, when America saw the mine and wanted to send a minesweeper, we stood firm and confronted it. We considered it a violation of the ceasefire and said that in this case, we will strike, and we even went to the stage of conflict and they retreated."
Moments of confronting the enemy minesweeper during the Islamabad talks
The head of the Iranian negotiating team also referred to the moments of confronting the enemy minesweeper during the Islamabad talks in another part of his speech, saying: In Islamabad, our brother Mr. Abdullahi contacted me and said that their minesweeper is ready and is located in a place where if it does not stop and does not stop, our missile will definitely hit it.
He continued: There (Islamabad) I told the American delegation that if their minesweeper moves even a little further from its place, we will definitely shoot at it. They asked us for 15 minutes; they said give us 15 minutes and we will order it to return, and they gave the order and it returned. After this time, Mr. Abdullahi contacted me and said that the minesweeper had returned, so if there is traffic in the Strait of Hormuz today, control of the Strait is in our hands.
Ghalibaf stated: It is God's grace that the potential capacity of the Strait of Hormuz has been realized. This is the result of the sincerity of the people and the blood of the martyrs. This story is similar to the story of Prophet Moses (PBUH) when Pharaoh killed all the boys to destroy Prophet Moses (PBUH), but God's will was that he grew up in the palace of the same Pharaoh.
He said that today the Strait of Hormuz is in the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and said: Of course, all people in the world and countries in the region should use the Strait of Hormuz. We are aware of this issue and we are not like America to take everything. But we will not allow the Americans to say that they have interests here and want to use it. We are careful about the rights and right of passage, but with our own protocols.
Ghalibaf emphasized: The Americans have been coming for several days now and have been besieging; the siege means that everyone should pass and Iran should not pass. What a clumsy and ignorant decision.
If America does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be restricted
Ghalibaf added: In the Strait of Hormuz, we and others are planning to pass through the strait, so it is not possible for others to be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz but we cannot; this is also a mistake upon mistake. If America does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be restricted and restrictions will be imposed on it. Yesterday, I also told Mr. Asim Munir that the enemy should not take such actions that would violate the ceasefire.
Ghalibaf to Vance: We do not trust you
The Speaker of the Parliament continued: In Islamabad, Mr. Vance said that I came with good intentions and for lasting peace, and I replied that I had a tweet before the trip and you must have read it. There I wrote that we are also coming to Islamabad with good intentions, but at the height of distrust. Right now, as I am sitting here in front of you, I have no trust and your first task is to build trust. I said that Trump tweeted that the negotiators were alive to negotiate and that if they do not decide to negotiate within 24 hours, it is not known whether they will be alive. I said that this is your behavior, Americans, and we will stand until the end.
He added: These words were at the same time as the presence of minesweepers in the Strait; there I said that we were not war-mongering, but we were and are ready for war. I said that we completely distrusted you and we still are. We trust in the divine victory and the power of the Iranian people.
Ghalibaf stated that “we were negotiating with authority and logic,” adding: American media said that the Iranian delegation stood very stubbornly and authoritatively on its principles.
The main strategy of the Iranian delegation was the measures of the Leader of the Revolution and the martyred Imam
He added: The main strategy of the Iranian delegation was also the measures that the Supreme Leader of the Revolution said and the measures that our martyred Imam had, and we have never pursued and will not pursue any discussion outside of these measures. Negotiation is a method of struggle to complete the field and assert the rights of the people present on the streets and fulfill their demands. Rest assured, we will follow these issues step by step.
Ghalibaf said: People in the street, our armed forces in the military, and in the field of negotiations, I will follow their demands. Of course, I will make it clear that I have never volunteered for such a thing. People should know that I am a remnant of the warriors and, without a doubt, there is no greater achievement than martyrdom for me.
He added: Today, no matter what negotiation papers or war plans are, they are the same for me; I am ready to sacrifice both my life and my honor. We are ready to give blood and to be bloodied. What is important is that the rights of this nation and Iran are protected and that the people pray. We are all moving forward under the leadership of the Leader of the Revolution, neither forward nor backward.
Trump is a master of lying and psychological warfare
In response to the question of why you denied negotiating with the United States but went to Islamabad a few days later, the Speaker of the Parliament said: First, let me tell you that if we were negotiating with the United States when Trump said we were? Why did he threaten to destroy infrastructure?
He continued: "I am grateful for the insight, courage, and zeal of the Iranian nation and Iranian women who were in the field with more zeal than our men. When they said they wanted to destroy our bridges and power plants, when I saw a young woman holding her children's hands and forming human chains around these power plants and bridges, I felt ashamed of them. I don't know what the ignorant American ruling body says about Venezuela."
I told Vance that the Iranian nation is brave, respectful, and polite.
The head of the negotiating team recalled: I told Vance that the Iranian nation is brave, respectful, and polite. You will not find a place in history where Iranians have lost their independence.
We did not hold any negotiations until 48 hours before the ceasefire
Referring to Iran's victories throughout history, he said: This nation was able to defeat the superpower and the brutal Zionist regime. We did not hold any negotiations until 48 hours before the ceasefire. Of course, Trump is a master of lying and psychological warfare. Yesterday, he posted 8 tweets, 7 of which were false.
Ghalibaf added: The negotiations began when Trump tweeted a request for a ceasefire. We summarized them in the National Security Council on 10 points. The Leader of the Revolution also agreed to the basis and conditions of the negotiations, and all of these were only in the last 48 hours of the war and leading up to the ceasefire. We were sending messages through Pakistan during those days.
He recalled: We arrived in this country at midnight on Saturday, Pakistan time, and were there for 30 hours, and before that, there were no other negotiations with the US, and the negotiations were only in those 48 hours.
He emphasized: We must pay attention that the enemy has not stopped being hostile, the enemy is definitely lurking and causing harm and has not despaired of it and every day he pulls out a plan and evil from his sleeve.
Ghalibaf added: All the enemy's efforts are to destroy this unity and solidarity of the people. Now, nearly 30 million people have registered in the "Sacrifice for Iran" campaign and yesterday was the women's exercise. When he says I am building infrastructure, people come there with their children, the people are our strength and we are obliged to be grateful.
Referring to the late Imam's statement that the axis of unity of our Islamic society is the Supreme Leader, he said: Today, if you want no harm to come to our country, we must support the Supreme Leader; Today, this is our duty, and we, the officials, have a greater duty than the people to strive for this national consensus and unity, and our behavior should not cause ambivalence.
Ghalibaf concluded by saying: I ask all people to pray for all the fighters in the military, diplomatic, and street fields.
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