Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that those who make claims over the three Iranian islands should not test the Iranian nation’s resolve to defend its territorial integrity, referring to the latest statement by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC).
Speaking at the Parliament’s open session on Sunday and extending congratulations on Student Day, he said that students in Iran’s contemporary history have been social leaders in the struggle against colonial powers and dictators. He added that Iranian students were not imitators of others but guided the rest of society, noting that the global hegemonic system—led by the United States—holds a deep historical hostility toward Iranian students because they stood alone against it, confronted it, and were martyred so that the Iranian nation would realize that democracy and development do not emerge from the barrel of the hegemonic powers’ guns and that sustainable progress and security can only be achieved through reliance on the Iranian people’s inherent capabilities.
He went on to honor the memory of the three martyrs of the 16 Azar incident and other student martyrs, particularly those of the Sacred Defense and the 12-day war.
Ghalibaf also praised the successful holding of the major naval drill of the IRGC Navy, named after Martyr Mohammad Nazeri, in the Persian Gulf, the Nazaat Islands, and the Strait of Hormuz, saying that the missiles used in the exercise accurately hit their designated targets. He added that the successful test launch of precision and effective missiles with ranges exceeding the length of the Persian Gulf—achieved through the efforts of Iranian experts—was a source of great satisfaction for the Iranian nation.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ghalibaf strongly condemned the unfounded and baseless claims once again raised in the recent PGCC statement regarding the Iranian islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. He said such baseless and absurd claims—often made under the influence of other countries—are inconsistent with the principles of respect for territorial integrity and good-neighborliness. He advised regional neighbors not to test the Iranian nation’s will to defend its territorial integrity and the Persian Gulf islands, which he described as an inseparable part of Iran.
He added that Iran has always sought stability, peace, and adherence to the principles of good-neighborliness, and expects the same from its neighbors.
MNA