Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday said the "old American order" in West Asia had collapsed and called on Islamic nations in the region to establish a new order, while reiterating that the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen until Iran's rights were recognised and the US fulfilled its commitments.
Speaking during a parliamentary session, Ghalibaf said Iran's position on diplomacy was "completely clear, rational and non-negotiable". He said Tehran's messages and conditions had been conveyed to Washington through intermediaries.
"Until these conditions are met, the legitimate rights of the Iranian people are recognized, and the Americans fulfill their commitments, there will be no opening for a return to the previous conditions for negotiations or for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened," Fars cited Ghalibaf as saying.
Recent reports have also indicated that Iran has continued to communicate conditions for renewed engagement with Washington through regional intermediaries. On Saturday, Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran had conveyed three conditions through a Qatari mediator: an end to the war on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the US naval blockade.
Ghalibaf calls for a new regional order
Addressing the broader balance of power in West Asia, Ghalibaf alleged that the America-led regional order no longer existed.
"Today, the old American order in West Asia has collapsed, and it is the Islamic countries of the region that must implement a new order," he said, according to Fars.
Ghalibaf also said Iran's approach should not be limited to a choice between fighting and negotiating. "We must both fight and negotiate," he said, stressing that Iran's conditions had already been clearly explained to the other side through mediators.
Iran International reported on Sunday that Ghalibaf also described the combination of resistance and diplomacy as necessary, saying Iran should fight "rationally and with power" while negotiating at an appropriate time with strength and wisdom.
The comments come amid continuing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported that only four commodity vessels transited the waterway on Thursday, compared with a 10-day average of 16, while some vessels have switched off their transponders.
Two strategic errors highlighted
Ghalibaf also identified what he described as two strategic mistakes in Iran's "elite and political atmosphere".
According to him, the first was advocating war without defining a mechanism or a horizon for bringing it to an authoritative end. The second was underestimating Iran's national capabilities.
"First, a view that speaks of war but has no horizon or mechanism for its authoritative end. By denying any interaction and diplomacy, this view practically leads the country towards erosion and endless war without calculating the possibilities," ANI cited Ghalibaf as saying.
"At the opposite end is a trend that makes the mistake of underestimating national power; it considers Iran weak and, by instilling fear, twists the version of surrender and acceptance of the enemy's unilateral terms," he said, according to the report.
Ghalibaf said the first approach could "keep the country in a state of permanent crisis", while the second "places national resources and dignity at the disposal of the enemy". He argued that both approaches ultimately serve what he described as the enemy's objective of disrupting Iran's cohesion and unity.
Tehran says conditions for talks and Hormuz reopening remain unchanged
Ghalibaf said that Iran's positions on the diplomatic front remained clear and that the country had demonstrated over the past seven months that it was not helpless in the face of aggression.
"Over the past seven months, we have shown that we are not helpless in the face of aggression. Our approach in confronting the enemy is to advance intelligently and impose the will of the Iranian nation," he said, according to Fars.
Iran has repeatedly tied the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to US compliance with commitments under the Islamabad memorandum. Ghalibaf said earlier this month that the waterway would not reopen unless Washington fulfilled its obligations under the agreement.
The June memorandum was intended to halt fighting and create a framework for broader negotiations, but both sides subsequently accused the other of violating its terms. The agreement expired in August without producing a lasting settlement.
Meanwhile, regional efforts to revive diplomacy have continued. China on September 16 urged Iran and the US to exercise restraint, return to the June interim peace agreement and resume substantive consultations, while also calling for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened to protect global energy supplies and shipping.