Ghalibaf warns of Iranian internal divisions

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has cautioned of internal divisions within the country's political establishment over the approach to the ongoing war with the US. Officials are divided on balancing military pressure and diplomatic negotiations. Ghalibaf emphasized that they have demonstrated they are not defenseless against aggression in the past seven months.

He stated that Iran's strategy involves intelligent advancement and imposing the will of the Iranian nation. Ghalibaf pointed out two opposing views within Iran's political and intellectual circles. The first view advocates for war but lacks a clear plan to end it, rejecting diplomacy and failing to consider the country's capabilities, which could lead to endless attrition.

The second view underestimates Iran's national power and advocates for surrender, effectively pushing Iran toward weakness. Both approaches are described as strategic errors that could weaken Iran. This conflict emerged just weeks after a public disagreement between Ghalibaf and Hossein Shariatmadari, a prominent ultraconservative figure appointed by late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ghalibaf refuted claims that negotiations were a retreat, asserting that they should be utilized to advance Iran's interests and consolidate resistance gains. The dispute is centered around how Iran should pursue its resistance policy, rather than whether to abandon it, as the Strait of Hormuz remains a contentious issue in the conflict.