Hardline MP tells Ghalibaf not to trust US talks

Hardline Iranian lawmaker Hamid Rasaee criticized Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf over negotiations with the United States, saying hopes for talks with Washington were misplaced.

In a message posted on his Telegram channel and addressed to Ghalibaf, who is also leading Tehran’s negotiating team, Rasaee said relying on negotiations with the United States was a mistake.

“Mr. Ghalibaf, placing hope in negotiations with America is wrong,” Rasaee wrote. “Zarif and Rouhani, who were masters of concessions and surrender in negotiations, did not get even a straw through talks. Do not repeat the mistake.”

Rasaee referred to Ghalibaf’s earlier position before the Pakistan-mediated talks began, saying he had made negotiations with the United States conditional on two issues: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the return of blocked Iranian assets.

“The money did not come back, and you have surely heard about the situation in Lebanon,” Rasaee wrote.

He claimed that Shqif Castle and the village of Arnoun in Lebanon had fallen, and said Nabatieh province and the Eqlim al-Tuffah area were at risk. He also said important facilities around Nabatieh, including what he described as strategic missile cities, were located in the area.