Iran Vows It Will Not Surrender in War Against the US

The conflict between the United States and Iran has heated up again after both sides engaged in tit-for-tat attacks. Parliamentary Speaker and Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stressed that this war will never end with Tehran’s surrender. “Ending the war is a priority for the countries of the world, but everyone must know that this confrontation will never end with Iran’s surrender,” Ghalibaf said, as reported by the ISNA news agency. “Every time the Americans betray an understanding, we are fully prepared to defend ourselves. We will stand firm against them and secure the rights of the Iranian people,” he added during a bilateral meeting with the Speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly. The US and Iran have exchanged fire on several occasions throughout this week. Washington accuses Tehran of deliberately targeting commercial ships in international waters before launching retaliatory strikes. Iran, on the other hand, stated it had attacked a number of US military assets in the Middle East using drones and missiles. This escalation comes just three weeks after Washington and Tehran signed an agreement aimed at turning a ceasefire into a lasting peace. However, the mutual attacks over two consecutive days until Thursday threaten a return to full-scale regional war. Ghalibaf revealed that during the negotiation process with Washington, he directly told US Vice President JD Vance of his country’s distrust. “We have no trust in you,” Ghalibaf repeated his statement to JD Vance. “From my point of view, those who can negotiate with America are those who are indeed ready for war,” he continued. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump stated on Friday that he had approved further negotiations with Iran. Nevertheless, Trump reiterated his statement that the ceasefire period between the two countries is now over. As a mediation step, a delegation from the Qatari mediator reportedly arrived in Iran on Friday for intensive talks following the latest escalation between the two nations.