Iran's Parliament Speaker Says US Seeking Dignified Exit from Region

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, made remarks at Baghdad airport, the site where Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in a US drone strike in January 2020. He described the location as symbolizing the shared history of Iran and Iraq and the "confrontation between the front of truth and the front of falsehood."

Ghalibaf stated that the United States had martyred the two commanders because it could not stop the strengthening and spread of the Resistance Front, but the act had failed to block its power. "It is enough to look at the state of the region to see who is winning," he said.

He referred to the recent "Ramadan war" (likely referring to the 2023 Gaza conflict or similar) as demonstrating the power of Iranian resistance, and claimed that the discourse of Resistance had become global. "The dirty reality of the Zionists has been exposed to the peoples of the world, and Israel is known as the enemy of humanity," he said.

Ghalibaf asserted that after the Ramadan war, a transformation in the region's security order is underway. "In the new regional order, the interference of foreigners and extra-regional actors is rapidly decreasing. American forces are seeking a dignified exit plan from the region, and the Zionist regime no longer has a future in our region," he said.

He said his visit to Iraq aims to strengthen the new regional order and accelerate cooperation among all regional states without foreign interference. Iran is ready for deep security interactions among Islamic countries, tied to sustainable economic cooperation, he added.

Ghalibaf said he would meet Iraqi government and parliamentary officials and attend the ceremony in Karbala marking 40 days since the burial of the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution, conveying the thanks of the new Leader and the Iranian people to Iraq for the funeral ceremonies. "The bond between the two nations of Iran and Iraq is historic, deep-rooted and unbreakable. Our brotherhood is our strength," he said.

According to Mehr News Agency, these remarks were made during his official visit to Iraq.