Iran is ratcheting up the rhetoric — and the stakes — with one of its top power players now claiming the country is locked in nothing less than a global-scale conflict.
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday, warning that Tehran is bracing for what he described as a “major world war,” while accusing the United States of playing a dangerous double game. “Our enemy speaks publicly of negotiations while secretly planning a ground attack, without realizing our forces are waiting for the Americans to enter,” Ghalibaf said, according to state-run media.
The hardline speaker painted a grim picture of what lies ahead, signaling that Iran is digging in for a drawn-out fight. “We are in a major world war and must prepare ourselves for a long, difficult, and complex path,” he said.
Ghalibaf made it crystal clear that Iran’s missile campaign is far from over — in fact, it’s only intensifying. “Our launches continue, our missiles will not stop, and our determination has only grown stronger,” he warned.
Behind the bluster is a shifting power dynamic inside Iran itself. The 64-year-old political veteran is reportedly part of a tight inner circle consolidating control as the regime hardens its stance. And Tehran isn’t going it alone. Ghalibaf pointed to a network of Iran-backed forces across the Middle East as proof of its reach — and resolve. Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, he said, have become “an important and effective part of the resistance,” while allied militias in Iraq are “fighting bravely.”
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have, in his words, “breathed new life” into the broader campaign. The message from Tehran: this fight stretches far beyond its borders — and it’s not ending quietly. Ghalibaf closed with a stark warning that Iran won’t let its adversaries walk away unscathed.
“We will not allow our enemies to leave without demonstrating our power and turning this war into a lesson for any aggressor,” he said.
