The Iranian regime claimed victory in the war against the United States and Israel and heightened tensions by asserting control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz as one of the conditions for definitively ending hostilities.
The statement was made by Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, president of the Iranian Parliament and one of the regime's chief negotiators, who argued that Tehran achieved both a military and political victory because its adversaries failed to reach the objective that, according to their version, they had set when operations began on February 28.
The Iranian regime claims it defeated the United States and Israel
Qalibaf stated during a speech broadcast by Iranian state television that Iran won the military and political dimensions of the war.
According to the leader, the main objective of Washington and Israel was to provoke a regime change and end the power of the ayatollahs. Since that did not happen, Tehran considers that the conflict ended with a defeat for its enemies.
The president of the Iranian Parliament also described the memorandum of understanding reached with the United States on June 17 as a "document of honor and victory" for the regime.
Although he acknowledged that the U.S. Armed Forces were not destroyed, Qalibaf described the outcome as an "absolute defeat for the United States and the Zionist regime", a term commonly used by Iranian authorities to refer to Israel.
This stance is part of the narrative that the regime seeks to establish internally: presenting the confrontation as a demonstration of resistance and preventing the damages suffered during the war from being interpreted as a strategic defeat.
Iran uses the Strait of Hormuz as a bargaining chip
The main point of tension now is the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important maritime routes on the planet and a crucial corridor for international oil and gas transport.
The head of the Iranian Army, Major General Amir Hatami, warned that Tehran will not allow the United States to regain the military position it had in the region before the escalation.
"Under no circumstances will U.S. bases be allowed to return to the previous situation, and Iran will never allow that to happen," he stated.
But the most significant threat was directly linked to Hormuz. Hatami asserted that the regime will maintain control of the strait as one of the conditions for ending the war.
