Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday dismissed a fresh warning from U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Tehran did not take American threats seriously and that its armed forces were prepared to respond if necessary.
“Don’t they realize that if their threats had produced results, they would not have reached the desperation they are in today?” the speaker said. “We do not take American threats seriously.”
He added that U.S. officials “had better be careful about their statements” and warned that Iran’s armed forces were ready “to respond in a different manner.”
“They can keep talking; we are the ones who act,” he said.
The remarks came after Trump warned Iran over the activities of groups allied with Tehran in Lebanon.
“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” Trump said in a post on social media.
The remarks came as Iranian and U.S. delegations were holding talks in Switzerland aimed at advancing a broader agreement between the two countries. The discussions are being mediated by Pakistan and Qatar and follow a memorandum of understanding reached earlier this month. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf is leading Tehran’s delegation, while U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is heading the American side.