Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on July 3 that Iran will respond if the United States and Israel violate the interim peace agreement. This statement comes as Tehran prepares to bury its former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of airstrikes in the ongoing conflict.

“We strongly demand full implementation of the agreements, and if the US and the Zionist regime fail to fulfill their commitments, Iran will resume proportionate actions,” Ghalibaf said during a meeting with Belarusian lawmaker Igor Sergeyenko, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have been leading Iranian negotiators in talks with the US aimed at permanently ending hostilities, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and resolving nuclear program issues. However, tensions escalated after the US and Iran exchanged fire in the Gulf last week, marking the first fighting since a 60-day memorandum of understanding was signed.

Following suspected Iranian drone attacks on vessels in the oil corridor, President Trump threatened to “militarily complete the job,” prompting US retaliatory strikes on Iranian missile and drone sites.

Ghalibaf dismissed US military threats as ineffective and labeled Israeli threats as “baseless propaganda.” He also stated, “The United States and the Zionist regime did not achieve any of their goals in the Ramadan War, and today everyone has come to the conclusion that the military action against Iran has failed and, ultimately, they requested a ceasefire themselves.”

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that US officials suspect an Israeli plot to assassinate Iran’s lead negotiators during earlier ceasefire talks this spring. Israeli strikes have already eliminated several top Iranian military and political figures.

Separately, President Trump is scheduled to visit South Dakota on July 3 to deliver remarks at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial and attend fireworks celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. Event organizers nationwide are adjusting plans due to major heat conditions.

Sources