According to Mehr News Agency, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf said that despite years of hostile policies targeting Iran and Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear and civilian facilities in June 2025, Iran remains committed to diplomatic engagement but will never negotiate under pressure.
Speaking at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Political Affairs of the Asian Parliament (APA), Foreign Minister Ghalibaf said that the Iranian state has been subjected to one of the most intensely organized hostilities in modern history in recent decades. These include what he described as “inhumane sanctions,” efforts to disrupt Iran’s peaceful scientific and nuclear development, and ultimately a “despicable” direct attack carried out by Israel in June 2025 with “the explicit involvement of the United States.”
He said the attack took place during diplomatic negotiations, but instead of condemning the aggressors, some European governments “sided with the occupiers.” In contrast, 120 countries around the world condemned the attack and said they stood by the Iranian people.
According to Ghalibaf, the attitude of Western governments has made it clear that for them diplomacy is not a means of dialogue and conflict resolution, but rather “a means of deceiving, buying time and applying pressure.”
He stressed that under no circumstances will the Islamic Republic of Iran put its national security, defense capabilities, or legitimate right to progress on the negotiating table. “We have repeatedly announced that the door to diplomacy remains open,” he said. “But true diplomacy only makes sense when it involves mutual respect and common interests, not coercion and intimidation.”
Ghalibaf also addressed broader regional issues, saying Asia is at a historical moment in the midst of deep political, economic, technological and cultural transformations that are reshaping the world. He said Asia is not just a geographical region, but a continent defined by deep historical, cultural, economic and political ties between nations.
He asserted that through collective and interest-based cooperation, with full awareness of the challenges currently facing the world locally and globally, Asia can present a new model of regional partnership and emerge as a center of gravity for economic growth, forward-looking innovation and global development.
According to Ghalibaf, Asia’s importance lies not only in its population size and territory, but also in its intellectual independence, cultural diversity, and the shared determination of its countries to pursue true multilateralism.
MNA