Iran's Qalibaf says US, Israel failed to achieve war goals

IRAN'S top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Sunday (August 16) declared that the United States and Israel “failed to achieve” any of their goals in their recent war against Iran, and said Tehran had emerged victorious.

“I declare with all my heart that we won this war,” Qalibaf said at a media event broadcast from Iran’s parliament.

“In an unjust war led by the United States and the Zionist regime, our nation stood and fought bravely, with an open heart and without expecting anything in return,” he added.

Qalibaf’s remarks come as Iranian officials continue to frame the conflict as a defensive struggle against foreign aggression. He did not provide specifics on what objectives he believed Washington and Jerusalem had failed to meet.

The comments mark one of the most direct claims of victory by a senior Iranian official since the fighting ended.