In a fiery address at Baghdad International Airport on Wednesday, Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared that American forces are desperately seeking a “dignified exit” from West Asia, while asserting that the Israeli regime “no longer has a future” in the region.
Speaking from the very tarmac where General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were assassinated in a U.S. drone strike on January 3, 2020, Ghalibaf framed the location as hallowed ground a symbol of shared Iranian-Iraqi sacrifice and the enduring “confrontation between the front of truth and the front of falsehood.”
Ghalibaf argued that Washington had resorted to eliminating the two commanders precisely because it could not halt the expansion of the Resistance Front. Yet, he insisted, the act had backfired catastrophically. “It is enough to look at the state of the region to see who is winning,” he asserted, pointing to shifting geopolitical tides as evidence of American decline.
The speaker singled out the recent Gaza conflict—referred to in his remarks as the “Ramadan war”—as a watershed moment that has not only demonstrated Iran’s strategic resilience but has also globalized the discourse of resistance. “The dirty reality of the Zionists has been exposed to the peoples of the world,” Ghalibaf declared. “Israel is now known as the enemy of humanity.”
According to Ghalibaf, the war has catalyzed a profound transformation in the region’s security architecture. “In the new regional order, the interference of foreigners and extra-regional actors is rapidly decreasing,” he said. “American forces are seeking a dignified exit plan from the region, and the Zionist regime no longer has a future in our region.”
The parliamentary leader framed his official visit to Iraq as a mission to accelerate this emerging order—one built on regional cooperation free from outside influence. He announced that Iran stands ready to forge deep security partnerships among Islamic nations, tethered to sustainable economic collaboration.
Ghalibaf also confirmed he would meet with Iraqi government and parliamentary officials during his visit, and is scheduled to attend the Arba’een ceremony in Karbala marking 40 days since the burial of the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution where he will personally convey gratitude from Iran’s new Supreme Leader and the Iranian people for Iraq’s role in the funeral observances.
“The bond between the two nations of Iran and Iraq is historic, deep-rooted and unbreakable,” Ghalibaf emphasized. “Our brotherhood is our strength.”
His remarks come at a time of intensifying realignment across the Middle East, as regional powers increasingly bypass traditional Western mediators while U.S. military posture in the Gulf remains under scrutiny. Analysts note that while Ghalibaf’s rhetoric echoes longstanding Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) doctrine, his public framing of an “orderly U.S. withdrawal” signals a concerted diplomatic push to cement Iran’s influence ahead of any potential future negotiations.
Source: Iranian media (edited by Al-Manar)