Iran vows full retaliation against US strikes, pledges to hold Strait of Hormuz

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament and head of Iran's delegation in end-of-war negotiations with the United States, declared that the talks have in effect broken down due to US violations of agreed obligations, and announced that Iran will no longer honor the ceasefire agreement and will retaliate against American airstrikes. Qalibaf also identified control of the Strait of Hormuz as a red line Iran will defend at all costs.

In a nationally televised address Wednesday, Qalibaf said Iran and the United States are engaged in "a fundamental and existential war," accusing Washington of seeking not only to topple Iran's Islamic system but to fracture the country itself.

He added that "an MOU has meaning only when its provisions are valid and implemented," saying: "If the United States violates its agreed obligations and Iran derives no benefit from them, we have absolutely no reason to honor the agreement either." He also said Iran's armed forces "have always had, and continue to have, full freedom of action to fight against enemy aggression," signaling that Iran would respond to any US military action with an immediate and full-scale armed counterattack.

His statement made clear that Iran's top military priority is holding the Strait of Hormuz. Qalibaf warned that "Iran's national security today depends on maintaining an 'Iranian order' in the Strait of Hormuz," and that while the United States seeks to undermine that order by force, "Iran will never allow the enemy to have its way." The "Iranian order" he described appears to refer to a system in which vessels transiting the strait would be required to use routes designated by Iran — a framework that could serve as the basis for Tehran to assert management authority over the waterway and impose transit fees.

Even as he signaled a forceful military response, Qalibaf outlined a two-track strategy combining military action and diplomacy, indicating that Iran has not abandoned negotiations entirely. He said choosing only one front — military or diplomatic — as the sole solution would be "a strategic mistake," and argued that at this stage, negotiations "do not mean compromise" but are "an essential part of the resistance strategy to protect national interests, just as armed resistance is."

He also made clear that Iranian retaliatory strikes would continue as long as US airstrikes do. "We will avenge the blood of our martyred comrades and deliver a firm and decisive response to our criminal enemies," he added. He also warned that "the enemies are hoping for despair and division within Iran," and called on the Iranian people to stand united.