In this handout picture provided by Ithe Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA), Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dressed in an IRGC uniform, chairs a session in Tehran on February 1, 2026. AFP PHOTO / HO / ISLAMIC CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY (ICANA)
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Sunday, March 29, accused the United States of plotting a ground attack despite talking about diplomacy, after a US warship with around 3,500 military personnel arrived in the Middle East.
Ghalibaf's comments came after more than a month of joint US-Israeli aerial bombings on Iran and ahead of talks between key regional players on Monday. The war has escalated into a regional conflagration as Iran has retaliated with attacks on Gulf states, sending energy markets into a tailspin and threatening the world economy.
"The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack," Ghalibaf said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency. "Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all," he added.
Ghalibaf also called for unity among Iranians on Sunday, saying the country was in "a major global war" that was "at its most critical stage." "We are certain that we can punish the United States, make it regret attacking Iran, and firmly secure our legitimate rights," he said.
