Ghalibaf warns US troops will be 'set on fire' — confirms ground op awareness, revealed as Trump back-channel

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a direct public threat in response to the Washington Post's revelation of Pentagon ground operations planning targeting Kharg Island and Hormuz coastal sites. In a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, Ghalibaf said: 'The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack. Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all.' The statement is significant on multiple levels: (1) Ghalibaf is reportedly the 'top man' with whom President Trump claimed last week he has been indirectly negotiating on ceasefire terms — meaning the same official conducting diplomacy is now issuing the most explicit threat yet to US ground troops. (2) He is also reported to have been removed from the IDF target list. (3) The simultaneous diplomacy-threat posture mirrors Iran's broader strategy: keep diplomatic options open while deterring US military escalation. Israel is said to have removed Ghalibaf from its target list as part of the informal back-channel.