TEHRAN – Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, delivered a strong speech during Sunday’s parliamentary session, warning against reliance on foreign powers and emphasizing the resilience of the Iranian nation.  

In his address, Qalibaf indirectly referenced the recent meeting and dispute between the U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, using it as an example of how nations that depend on external powers ultimately face betrayal and failure.  

On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Washington to sign a deal that would give 50 percent of the country’s oil and rare minerals to the U.S..

The meeting, however, turned into a heated debate after Zelensky indirectly criticized the foreign policy of the U.S. and Trump. Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of being ungrateful and disrespecting the U.S. in the Oval Office. Trump also accused Zelensky of “provoking World War Three” and blamed him for not wanting to reach a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting ended with the visiting Ukrainian president being asked to leave the White House abruptly, cancelling the lunch and joint press conference.

"Any country that outsources its security and progress to others or places the slightest hope or trust in the arrogant powers is doomed to failure," he declared. "The Islamic Revolution was a rational uprising born from the historical experience of the Iranian nation, which freed this land from dependence on the most untrustworthy powers in the world."

Qalibaf went on to criticize what he described as the "hegemonic system" of the West, arguing that powerful nations manipulate their allies with empty promises before abandoning them when it suits their interests.  

"The hegemonic system exploits its allies with baseless promises to achieve its sinister goals and then discards them. They have openly proven that while standing against oppressors may be difficult or costly, befriending them is deadly and destructive," he stated.  

Quoting the Holy Quran, Qalibaf insisted that arrogant global powers consistently break agreements and deceive their supposed partners. He asserted that Iran's historical experience has proven this to be especially true in its dealings with the United States, which he accused of following a pattern of betrayal and excessive demands.  

"What the Leader of the Islamic Revolution foresaw years ago—exposing the insatiable greed of the West—is now visible to people around the world through the lens of modern media," he added, referring to Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and his long-standing warnings about Western influence.  

Concluding his speech, Qalibaf emphasized Iran’s self-reliance and resilience, stating that the nation would continue to learn from its own experiences and those of others.