Addressing a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said the 12-day US-Israeli aggression proved that Iran “neither surrenders nor retreats under threat.”
He added that the US “bombed the negotiation table” just two days before a scheduled meeting, showing that “they are not looking for negotiations at all, and have practically chosen war.”
Speaking about Iran’s talks with the West after the 12-day war, Qalibaf said they demanded Iran reduce its missile range, but emphasized that defending the country is non-negotiable and such a demand is “absolutely impossible.”
“In the recent negotiations, they also showed themselves to be conspirators and liars; their behavior proved that their goal is not to solve the issue, but rather pressure, deception, and imposition,” he added.
Ghalibaf described the 12-day war as a sophisticated, heinous terrorist aggression planned by the criminal ruling body of the Zionist regime in collaboration with the US.
While admitting a brief delay in Iran’s initial response, he stressed the speed with which the country reacted.
“Within about five days, we achieved sufficient dominance over the Zionist enemy’s air and ground,” Ghalibaf stated, asserting that the enemy was desperate for a ceasefire by the sixth and seventh days.
He attributed this victory to the wisdom and courage of Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the sacrifice of the Iranian people, and the precise operations of the Armed Forces that “brought the enemy to its knees.”
“Today, we truly believe that our power is not only in our military and missile capabilities,” Ghalibaf emphasized.
“Our main power, after the grace of God, lies in the hearts of our people.”
The speaker highlighted lessons learned from True Promise 1, 2, and 3 operations, which provided immense tactical and technical experience.
“In a real battleground, despite the enemy’s multi-layered defense systems and air superiority, to fire more than 100 missiles in a limited timeframe and achieve over 70% accurate hits is a great military achievement.”
He warned that any future aggression from the US or the Zionist regime would be met with an exponentially stronger response.
“Today, Iran’s defensive and offensive capability, both quantitatively and qualitatively, is such that any aggression by the U.S. or the Zionist regime will be met with a much stronger, more precise, and more effective response.”
