Iran's Chief Negotiator: "We Do Not Trust the U.S., Will Turn Maritime Blockade Into Enemy's Defeat"

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and chief negotiator for Iran in the ongoing ceasefire talks, stated that he does not trust the United States and vowed to turn the U.S.-led maritime blockade against Iran into a defeat for the enemy.

According to Iran International, a media outlet specializing in Iranian affairs, Ghalibaf expressed his distrust and hardline stance toward the U.S. in a voice message posted to his Telegram channel on June 8 (local time).

Iran International is a Washington, D.C.-based media outlet known for its anti-Iranian government stance.

Regarding the maritime blockade, Ghalibaf said, "It is a war crime and part of the enemy's conspiracy," adding, "Through a comprehensive plan, we will turn this maritime blockade into another defeat for them."

He emphasized that Iran's military action against Israel demonstrated that the country "is not afraid of negotiations being suspended," and stressed that achieving Iran's goals requires both military operations and diplomacy, not one or the other.

"Engaging in diplomacy does not mean we will not conduct military operations, and conducting military operations does not mean we will not engage in diplomacy," he said. "When it is time to fight, we must fight, and when it is time to negotiate, we must negotiate."

Ghalibaf stated, "Our goal is the end of the war and stable security, and we do not trust the other side at all."

He emphasized that "contrary to what some people think about a lack of coordination (within the Iranian government), there is complete coordination to achieve our goals."

This message from Ghalibaf came just hours after Iran and Israel halted their mutual airstrikes on facilities such as petrochemical complexes on June 8, following intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump.

This marks the first time that Iran and Israel have engaged in a full-scale armed conflict since a ceasefire was established on April 8.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.