Iran Calls Peace Deal a Declaration of America's Defeat

Iran’s chief negotiator has described the peace deal between Iran and the United States to end the Middle East war as a ‘declaration of America’s defeat’. ‘The Islamabad understanding is not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation,’ said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, referring to the text of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached through Pakistani mediation. ‘That is why the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding is a declaration of America’s defeat,’ declared Ghalibaf, who also serves as Iran’s parliamentary speaker, as reported by AFP news agency on Wednesday (24/6/2026). He added that security in the Middle East must be guaranteed by the countries of the region. ‘We consider the withdrawal of foreign military forces from this region as a strategic objective because, not only do they not create sustainable security, but they are also a source of instability,’ Ghalibaf said. He delivered the speech at a conference in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on Wednesday (24/6), which was broadcast on Iranian television. It is known that the United States has military bases in the Middle East, and the host countries were targeted by Iranian attacks during the war. Those attacks were in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on Iran. ‘We see the future of this region not in confrontation but in interaction, and not in elimination but in coexistence,’ said Ghalibaf, in what appeared to be an effort to reach out to the Gulf states that were targeted by Iranian attacks. Iran’s lead negotiator also reiterated that peace in Lebanon is a fundamental pillar for reaching a definitive agreement with Washington. ‘For us, a ceasefire in Lebanon has been and remains as important as a ceasefire in Iran, and the end of the war in Lebanon is as important as the end of the war in Iran,’ he stressed.