Iran, Iraq enjoy ‘unbreakable’ unity, will continue to make US ‘taste defeat’: Qalibaf

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has described the unity between Iran and Iraq as “unbreakable,” saying the two countries will continue to stand against the United States.

Speaking on Friday after paying tribute to Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at the Wadi Al-Salam Cemetery in Najaf, Qalibaf said the United States and the Israeli regime should understand that unity within the Muslim world, particularly between Iran and Iraq, is “unbreakable.”

This relationship, he added, is cemented by shared religious and cultural foundations. He pointed to periods when Iranian and Iraqi forces stood together in response to shared threats.

Qalibaf recalled the fight against the Daesh terrorist group, saying Iranian and Iraqi forces stood alongside one another when they needed each other.

He also pointed to the recent aggression against Iran, saying the Iraqi people rose up during the “Ramadan War,” referring to the war launched by the US and the Israeli regime against Iran in late February, during the month of Ramadan.  

Furthermore, he cited the US assassination of anti-terror commanders Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in January 2020 as a symbol of the close ties between the two nations.

“The symbol of this struggle is the blood of the martyr Abu Mahdi and the dear martyr Haj Qassem, which was mixed in this land,” he said.

Qalibaf said the cooperation between the two countries would continue.

“Iraq and Iran will stand against the arrogance,” he said. “Just as they brought America to its knees in the Ramadan War and made it taste the bitter flavor of defeat, this path will continue.”

Iran does not seek war, but diplomacy proceeds only if there is readiness for war

On Thursday, speaking with a host of Iranian and Iraqi businesspeople in Baghdad, Qalibaf says Iran does not seek war, but diplomacy can only be effective when backed by readiness for war, as the US resorts to economic threats against Iran following defeat in the military war.

 “We are neither warmongers nor seeking war,” he said. “But as Muslims, we believe in a principle in the Islamic Ummah: We will not allow people to trample on our dignity and honor. On this path, we will sacrifice our wealth and lives, stand firm, and defend our dignity and honor.”

“As a combatant, we know the value of peace more than those who speak of peace,” he said. “In other words, the person who has fought knows the value of peace.”

He argued that diplomacy carries weight only when a country is prepared to defend itself.

“We believe diplomacy is valuable and moves forward when we are prepared for war,” Qalibaf said. “If we are not prepared for war, no one will respond to us when we use diplomacy.”

The remarks come days following the expiration of the Pakistan-mediated Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed on June 17, and meant to end the war of aggression launched by the US and the Israeli regime against Iran, which came to a temporary halt after 40 days.

Not long after signing the understanding, Washington started breaching the understanding, leading to a new round of war which lasted more than two weeks. Iran responded to US and Israeli attacks on the country’s civilian infrastructure by launching precision strikes against US and Israeli military assets across the region.

Need to trade with national currencies 

He said bilateral trade could be conducted using national currencies rather than relying on the US dollar.

“We can conduct trade using national currencies and strike at the dominance of the US currency,” Qalibaf said.

“The era of America's domination of the world has passed, but we do not pay attention to this and do not focus on the opportunities that have emerged. This is our problem,” he said.

Qalibaf said the US and Israel had concluded that they could not defeat Iran and Iraq through conventional military warfare and had therefore turned to economic pressure.

The remarks came as US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday what he called the “most crushing economic operation” against Iran. He said Tehran would face “economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale” and threatened sanctions against countries that conduct business with Iran.

The threat comes as his war on Iran has failed to reach any of its objectives, imposing mounting pressure on Americans' livelihoods, with Trump’s approval rating hitting a record low.

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