As reports circulate that the US is moving more military assets to within striking distance of Iran, Tehran appears to be seeking to warn Washington against escalation. Iran Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Ghalibaf delivered a speech at Tehran University on International Quds Day, March 28, 2025, warning the US.
“If they threaten Islamic Iran, then, like powder kegs, America’s allies in the region and US bases will be made unsafe,” Mohammad-Baqer Ghalibaf said.
This is clearly a threat to US forces in Iraq, the Gulf, and perhaps even Syria. The US has bases in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE. The US also has forces at Asad base in Iraq, in northern Iraq, and a number of posts in Eastern Syria.
“Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Ghalibaf says if the United States carries out military threats against Iran, US allies and American military bases in the region will be made unsafe,” the Iranian state media report. Clearly, this also implies that Iran could strike at Israel or the Gulf states in retaliation for a strike.
Recent reports indicate the US has moved at least four B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Ghalibaf also referred to US President Donald Trump’s letter to Iran. “America’s attitude in the letter is one of a bully… But you can neither bully nor deceive the Iranian nation.”
Iran’s supreme leader has also cautioned against direct talks with the US. It appears the Iranian president and foreign minister are more keen on talks. Ghalibaf spoke of US threats as being a potential “prelude to war.” Trump has reportedly given the Iranians about sixty days to decide. This means they will need to decide sometime in late May.
Iran will not engage in negotiations
Ghalibaf also slammed Israel. “The hegemonic system has survived by oppressing humanity, and the Zionist regime is in fact criminal America’s killing machine,” the speaker said, according to IRNA.
Ghalibaf is known for flying into Beirut during Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah to show support for Hezbollah. “Israel would not have survived for a week without US support,” he said on Friday.
Iran uses Quds Day, the last Friday in Ramadan, to try to get people to protest and hate Israel. This year, it was more muted because Iran has lost influence in Syria and other places.
“Tehran says Israeli strikes on residential areas in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, are a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” IRNA also said on Saturday.
“Tehran has strongly condemned Israel’s latest military assaults on residential areas in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, calling them a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement between the Zionist regime and the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah.”
Iran wants to show it still backs Hezbollah, even though Hezbollah is now much weaker than in the past. Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, slammed Israel for its strikes on Hezbollah. Israel struck Beirut in response to recent rocket fire, and Israel also carried out other strikes last week in response to rocket fire.
“Rejecting Israel’s justifications for the attacks as baseless, [Baqaei] emphasized that the global community must adopt decisive measures against Israel’s continued violations across the region, from Gaza to Lebanon and Syria,” IRNA noted.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also said that Iran will not engage in negotiations under pressure or threats from the US.
“Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has reiterated that the Islamic Republic will not engage in negotiations under pressure or threats, emphasizing that the country is ready both to thwart threats and engage in diplomacy,” IRNA noted. He made the comments to Al-Alam media in Iran on Quds Day.
“Anyone who speaks to the Iranian people with the language of threats will receive the same response,” Araqchi said. “Araqchi expressed doubt over the practical implementation of what he said were US threats.
“We are fully ready for both threats and diplomacy,” he added. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi also announced the “holding of expert nuclear talks between Iran and three European countries in Geneva,” IRNA noted.
“Specialized and technical talks between the four countries on the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions were held at the expert level in Geneva on Thursday,” Gharibabadi wrote on X.
