Iran deputy parliament speaker says 'no understanding with America'

KATHMANDU: Iranian Deputy Parliament Speaker Hamidreza Haji Babaei said Iran would "never reach an understanding with America", reiterated support for the "resistance" and warned Ukraine against any "mischief" in the Caspian Sea, ISNA reported.

He said the Strait of Hormuz is "the pinnacle of our power" and must be supported and protected.

Speaking during the parliament's public and closed sessions on Monday, Haji Babaei said Hezbollah's recent pledge of allegiance to Iran's leadership was "the high peak of the nation and the victorious face of the resistance", which had "many effects on the international stage and especially in the region" and demonstrated the strength of the "Islamic nation and the resistance", against which "America and the Zionist regime [Israel] were forced to retreat."

He cited remarks by the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, saying Iran had made "preserving the territorial integrity of Lebanon and the complete and unconditional elimination of the Zionist regime's aggression" the first condition for any memorandum of understanding to end the "imposed war with the aggressor America."

Quoting the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, Haji Babaei said, "There is no other way forward but jihad and resistance, and persistence in this path will bring the promised divine victory to the mujahideen of the true path."

Turning to the United States, Haji Babaei said, "America should not be allowed to fight whenever it wishes and declare a ceasefire whenever it wishes. The Islamic Republic of Iran must stand firm against America's will and not allow America to be an active player in the region."

He said "the will of the great Iranian nation has shown that America is passive, and America must remain passive in our politics as well", adding, "America's war is war, its peace is war, and its dialogue is war; therefore, we must be careful, because we will never reach an understanding with America, and it is the will of the nation that can always be decisive."

On the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes, Haji Babaei said, "The Strait of Hormuz created great power for the Iranian nation, and today it is the pinnacle of our power. This peak of power and dignity of the great Iranian nation must definitely be supported and protected."

Referring to recent strikes in the Caspian Sea on Iranian vessels, Haji Babaei warned Ukraine, "We warn Ukrainian employers that any mischief by your contractor in the region, including the Caspian Sea, will result in a regrettable response from the great Iranian nation."