Ghalibaf: We achieved in diplomacy more than military action

• Iran was fully prepared to launch a major retaliatory strike
• Tehran warned of a wider regional attack if the enemy responded
• Trump announced a Lebanon ceasefire, enabling mass returns of displaced

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf delivered a major address detailing the inner workings of a high-stakes geopolitical standoff, describing diplomacy as an extension of active combat.

Ghalibaf asserted that by treating negotiations as a form of struggle, the Islamic Republic ultimately secured several times more benefits through the diplomatic track than it could have ever achieved via direct military engagement.

Reflecting on the tense final hours before a comprehensive ceasefire was brokered, Ghalibaf revealed that Iran had drawn a strict line in the sand following a military assault on the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, Lebanon.

Despite warnings from international actors that a breakthrough agreement was close to finalization and could be upended, Iran rejected calls to withhold its military response.

"When you attacked Dahiyeh in Lebanon, we were going to respond under any circumstances," Ghalibaf stated. "Our friends in the armed forces were ready, they had their orders, and the command's strategy was in place; everything was prepared. No matter how much they told me there not to strike, I said we will definitely strike."

Ultimatum forces ceasefire

The Parliament Speaker detailed the severe warnings he issued to back up Iran's military posture, informing opposing parties that any counter-retaliation would trigger an uncontained regional war.

"You must be careful not to respond," Ghalibaf warned his counterparts during the peak of the crisis. "Because you struck, we will strike; if you respond, we will strike the region."

According to Ghalibaf, this rigid military readiness directly shifted the diplomatic calculations in Washington and forced a rapid escalation of American pressure on 'Israel'.

He noted that the impact of Iran's unyielding position became visible in the early hours of the morning when US President Donald Trump intervened directly to halt the conflict.

"You saw that by two o'clock in the morning, Trump announced a ceasefire, not just in Dahiyeh, but across the entirety of Lebanon, and spoke to Netanyahu using that exact same language," Ghalibaf stated, pointing to the event as definitive proof that negotiation is a powerful method of combat.

Diplomacy returned security

Ghalibaf emphasized that the primary objective of any state strategy must be achieving its core national goals and restoring baseline stability.

He noted that while he was in constant communication with military commanders on the ground to prepare for an imminent strike, the overwhelming success of the diplomatic channel ultimately shifted the outcome, bringing immediate security back to the region.

The tangible success of this diplomatic victory is already visible on the ground in Lebanon.

Ghalibaf highlighted that within the first 24 hours of the announced truce, more than 50 percent of the citizens who had been displaced by the heavy fighting had already successfully returned to their homes.

Concluding his remarks, Ghalibaf credited the professional staff at the Iranian Foreign Ministry for executing the complex diplomatic maneuvers, while emphasizing that his own approach remains rooted in his background as a soldier.

"I have experience in diplomatic work, but diplomacy is not my profession," he concluded. "I am a fighter, but with the spirit and culture of a warrior, I follow the path of diplomacy as well."