Iran’s Top Negotiator Sends Stern Message to US: “Era of Intimidation Is Over”

International Desk
Amid rising tensions in West Asia, Iranian Parliament Speaker and senior negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf issued a strong message to Washington, declaring that the era of threats, intimidation and extortion is over and that Iran will never bow down.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Qalibaf accused the US of gravely violating the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MOU),” a fragile agreement aimed at de-escalating regional tensions. The statement came shortly after US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed strikes on more than 80 targets inside Iran, including air defense systems, coastal radars, and dozens of IRGC speedboats. The Pentagon described the strikes as a direct response to recent Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Qalibaf listed five specific grievances: strikes on southern Iran, the continued threat of further attacks, the reimposition of oil sanctions, US interference in Iranian naval operations in the strait, and what he called “ongoing Zionist aggression” against Lebanon, which he framed as the core violation.
He concluded: “The era of intimidation and extortion is over. It will yield nothing. We will never bow down.”
While Washington frames its actions as necessary to protect vital international trade and deter maritime aggression, Tehran views the strikes and renewed sanctions as marking the end of mutual understanding. Analysts say Qalibaf’s defiant stance underscores growing diplomatic deadlock and poses serious risks to the survival of already fragile diplomatic efforts between the two countries.