Iran Parliament Speaker Qalibaf: Tehran Is Not Seeking a Ceasefire — 'Aggressors Must Be Punished'

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told state TV in an unequivocal statement: 'Tehran is not seeking a ceasefire in its war with the US and Israel, adding that aggressors should be punished.' Qalibaf added that if the enemy attacks from any country, Tehran will respond decisively. Qalibaf is a former IRGC general and hardliner — a political figure closely aligned with the IRGC establishment and military chain of command. His statement directly contradicts the diplomatic trajectory pursued by the Pezeshkian government: the Oman talks that showed 'significant progress,' the Gulf ceasefire announcement, and Araghchi's various diplomatic statements. The Qalibaf statement makes Iran's internal split publicly explicit for the first time: the elected civilian president and his foreign minister are pursuing a diplomatic off-ramp, while the parliament speaker — aligned with the IRGC — is publicly declaring no ceasefire will be sought. This tension mirrors the political fault lines visible throughout the war: Pezeshkian (pragmatist/reformist) vs the IRGC-parliament hardliner bloc. The statement also undercuts the Oman diplomatic channel — if Iran's parliament is publicly rejecting a ceasefire, the credibility of the Pezeshkian government's negotiating authority is diminished. Foreign interlocutors will need to assess whether Pezeshkian can actually deliver on any deal.