Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Thursday said that nearly seven million Iranians stand ready to defend the country, delivering a forceful message amid rising tensions with the United States.
In an impassioned address to the public, Ghalibaf warned that Iranians would unite against any foreign aggression, drawing on his own experience during the Iran-Iraq war and said,”But that’s what we do. We give everything – everything we’ve got – for the land we love.”
He recalled losing his brother and several close friends in the eight-year conflict, underscoring what he described as the nation’s long-standing willingness to sacrifice for its sovereignty.
“We are not warmongers. But when the time comes to defend our homeland, every last one of us becomes a soldier,” he said.
In a direct dig at President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, including threats to push Iran “back to the Stone Age,” Ghalibaf struck a similarly combative tone, saying, “Right now, in less than a week, a powerful national campaign sweeping across the country has brought forward around 7 million Iranians who have already stepped up and declared they’re ready to pick up arms and stand in defense of our nation,” he stated.
Ghalibaf said, “Let me tell you something straight from the gut: Iranians don’t just talk about defending their country, we bleed for it. We’ve done it before, and we’re ready to do it again.”
“You come for our home… you’re gonna meet the whole family. Locked, loaded and standing tall,” he said. “Bring it on.”
