Iran rejects ‘neither war nor peace’, Ghalibaf warns US

Iran's parliament speaker warns that any further US military action will be met with a response from Iranian forces.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday, November 15, said Tehran would not remain in a state of “neither war nor peace” and was prepared for either negotiations or war with the United States, Iranian media reported.

Speaking during an open parliamentary session, Ghalibaf said Iran was not concerned about Washington’s choice between negotiations and military confrontation.

“It doesn’t matter to us at all whether America wants to negotiate or go to war,” he said, adding that an agreement remained possible if Washington accepted Tehran’s seven conditions, which he described as reasonable.

He warned that any further US military action would be met with a response determined by Iran’s armed forces, adding that they would decide the geographical scope of the conflict.

Iran’s seven conditions for an agreement include lifting the naval blockade, ensuring safe passage for commercial vessels and oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, removing unilateral sanctions, lifting restrictions on Iranian oil exports, releasing frozen Iranian assets, allowing nuclear materials to remain in Iran and ending the war.

Ghalibaf also said Tehran did not seek to continue the conflict with Washington, adding that the responsibility for opening a path towards peace rested with the US.

Iran’s missile capabilities

Ghalibaf described the unveiling of an underground missile facility during the war as a significant achievement and a symbol of changing strategic equations in the region.

The remarks followed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) announcement last week of a new underground missile base containing solid-fuel and liquid-fuel missiles, as well as cruise missiles.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal, citing US intelligence officials, reported that Iran still had between 1,500 and 2,500 missiles in its arsenal.

Ghalibaf also congratulated the country’s aerospace industry on National Day of Aerospace, observed in memory of Major General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, widely known as the father of Iran’s missile programme.

Economic challenges at home

Ghalibaf said Iran’s biggest challenge, apart from the conflict with Washington, was reviving production and improving people’s livelihoods.

According to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, he said inflation, unemployment and price fluctuations could not be addressed through speeches or government circulars.

He added that the government had a responsibility to protect people who had endured what he described as one of the greatest wars in history for more than eight months.

Iran claims drone strike on Bahrain air base

Earlier on Sunday, the IRGC claimed that its air force had targeted the radar of a US air defence site at Riffa Air Base in Bahrain using six drones, according to the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency.

The report followed repeated warnings from Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior about a potential threat, urging residents to seek shelter.

In its statement, the IRGC maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remained closed, despite what it described as the US failure to escort ships through the waterway. It warned that any further US aggression would be met with an “even harsher and more devastating response”. The IRGC also accused Washington of conducting an “oil smuggling” operation in the strait.