Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is celebrating the recent U.S.-Iran agreement as a major triumph for Tehran, claiming that Iran used threats and ultimatums to force President Donald Trump to accept its demands and pressure Israel to halt military operations in Beirut’s Dahieh district.

In a rare interview with Iranian state television overnight, Ghalibaf offered an unusually detailed account of the negotiations, portraying the agreement as evidence that Tehran successfully dictated terms to Washington.

“Lebanon is part of the resistance front, so it is natural that when a ceasefire is established, it must apply to all fronts—especially Lebanon,” Ghalibaf said. He added that Iran entered the talks with clear demands, including an end to fighting across all theaters and the lifting of sanctions.

According to Ghalibaf, Tehran relied on direct threats to compel the United States to comply.

“When Israel attacked Dahieh, we threatened the United States and issued an ultimatum: Our demands must be accepted, otherwise we will respond,” he said. “Trump was forced to publish a tweet and tell Netanyahu that he had to stop the fire and not attack Dahieh.”

He further claimed that when Dahieh was targeted again, Iran launched what he called Operation “Nesr” to demonstrate its resolve.

“That is when the enemy understood that when we speak about negotiations, our sword is also ready at the same time,” he said.

Ghalibaf also recounted what he described as a pivotal moment in the negotiations that occurred while Iran was engaged in talks with international mediators this past Sunday.

“Then the Dahieh incident occurred. In the middle of the negotiations, I immediately tweeted that we would certainly respond to the attack in Dahieh,” he said. “After that, the atmosphere of the negotiations changed completely.”

The Iranian official said Tehran made it clear that retaliation was non-negotiable.

“They said: Do not respond. But we said: We will certainly respond, and if you respond, we will expand the scope of our response. This is exactly the culture of negotiation as struggle,” he explained.

Celebrating the outcome of the talks, Ghalibaf argued that Iran achieved far more through diplomacy than it could have through military action.

“Everything we wanted to achieve through military action, we achieved many times over through negotiations,” he claimed. “I am a fighter, not a diplomat, but I manage diplomacy with the spirit of a fighter.”

Turning to the agreement itself, Ghalibaf described the deal as “a certificate of America’s failure.” He noted that under the original understandings, the lifting of the blockade was expected to occur within 30 days, but Trump announced it would be removed immediately.

“And in practice, that is exactly what happened,” Ghalibaf said.

He concluded by warning that Iran remains prepared to abandon the agreement and escalate tensions if Washington fails to uphold its commitments.

“If the enemy does not understand the language of logic, we will deal with it in the language of force—the finger is on the trigger,” Ghalibaf warned. “If the United States does not fulfill its obligation, Iran will not fulfill its obligation either.”

{Matzav.com}