Speaking to reporters upon returning from Islamabad, where he led a high-ranking Iranian delegation for talks with the United States, Qalibaf thanked members of the negotiating team and journalists, whose coverage he said helped counter what he described as “psychological operations” by the other side, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.
Responding to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, Qalibaf said the language of threats does not work with Iran. He added that since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has consistently demonstrated it would not yield under military, economic or political pressure.
Addressing Trump directly, Qalibaf said Iran would respond in kind to both confrontation and dialogue.
“If you go to war, we will fight you, and if you come forward with logic, we will treat you logically. We will not bow to any threat. Test our resolve once again so that we will teach (you) a greater lesson,” he said.
He reiterated that the United States could only find a “way out” by rebuilding trust with Iran, saying Washington “owes a debt” to the Iranian people and must seek to make amends for past actions.
The senior parliamentarian noted that nationwide public rallies in support of the Islamic Republic since the start of US-Israeli strikes in late February had strengthened Iran’s position during the Pakistan-mediated talks in Islamabad.
He thanked the Iranian people for their “stronger-than-before presence in the streets”, saying it had reinforced the negotiating team’s ability to defend Iran’s national interests.
Qalibaf described the talks as “intense, serious and challenging”, adding that Iranian negotiators had presented several initiatives as a gesture of goodwill.
However, he acknowledged that building trust with the United States would be a “difficult and time-consuming task” given Washington’s long history of reneging on its commitments. He cited what he said were two US attacks on Iran over the past year amid diplomatic talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
It was up to Washington, he said, to take steps to rebuild confidence and break a “77-year wall of mistrust” with Iran, adding that the Iranian delegation had seen little sign of such efforts in the latest round of talks in Islamabad.
The Parliament Speaker stressed that Iran would continue on its “path towards success” independently and by relying on domestic capabilities.
