Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)                     March 29, 2025

   Speaking to people gathered at Tehran University on International Quds Day on Friday, Qalibaf referred to U.S. threats against Iran and warned against fulfilling those threats.

   “If they threaten Islamic Iran, then, like powder kegs, America’s allies in the region and U.S. bases will be made unsafe,” he said.

   Qalibaf referred to U.S. President Donald Trump’s letter to Iran and said it contained nothing worthwhile about the removal of sanctions on Iran. “America’s attitude in the letter is one of a bully… But you can neither bully nor deceive the Iranian nation.”

   He said negotiating under pressure and threats would mean yielding to the other party’s demands, “which would be a prelude to war, which no nation would accept.”

   Trump sent a letter to Iran via an emissary from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 12, requesting that negotiations be opened into a deal. The U.S. president had on February 4 signed a presidential memorandum to restore “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic. He pulled out of a multinational deal with Iran during his first term in office in 2018.

   Iran relayed its response to Trump’s letter via Oman on Wednesday. The Islamic Republic says it won’t engage in direct negotiations with the United States as long as the Islamic Republic is subjected to “maximum pressure” and military threats.

   Elsewhere in his speech, Qalibaf said Israel has for decades been oppressing the people of Palestine, the story of which is one of longtime pain and sorrow.

   “The hegemonic system has survived by oppressing humanity, and the Zionist regime is in fact criminal America’s killing machine,” the speaker said. ‘Israel would not have survived for a week without U.S. support’

   Qalibaf said Palestinians resistance has been fighting not just Israel but also the United States. “If Palestine and the resistance front only had the Zionist regime to face off with, rest assured that the regime would not have lasted even for a single week,” he said, adding that the United States came to Israel’s aid and helped maintain the “wicked” regime.

   Other governments of course supported Israel as well, among them Britain, he said.

   Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. The war was briefly halted with a ceasefire agreement in January. The regime restarted the war on March 18. At least, 50,000 Palestinians have been killed.

   Millions of Iranians held nationwide rallies on Friday, International Quds Day, to support Palestine.