Iran's speaker calls US and Israeli bases "legitimate targets”

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has warned that US and Israeli military assets in the region could become targets for Iranian forces, citing recent developments involving Iran and Lebanon.

In a statement published on the social media platform X, Ghalibaf said the continuation of what he described as a maritime blockade against Iran, along with new Israeli strikes on Lebanon, effectively removes constraints on Iran’s armed forces in responding militarily.

“The maritime blockade of Iran and the fact that today the US has given the green light [for strikes on Lebanon] to the Zionist regime (meaning Israel — ed.) turn American and Israeli bases and assets in the region into legitimate targets,” he wrote.

He added that these steps demonstrate that the United States and Israel “understand no language other than the language of force,” suggesting that Iran may respond in kind under such conditions.

By Tamilla Hasanova