Iran's parliament speaker says Tehran backs 'resistance front' with missiles or pressure in talks

WASHINGTON, United States — TEHRAN — Iran's Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran supports the "resistance front" with missiles when necessary and with political pressure in negotiations when those are needed, according to remarks reported to the press. Ghalibaf said assistance to Muslims and the resistance front is delivered through missiles when required and by exerting pressure in talks when diplomacy is the chosen route. He added that Tehran has communicated to Washington that preserving the territorial integrity of regional states and ending the war with allied partners must be part of any agreement. The speaker argued that Muslim governments now see that cooperation with the United States and Israel does not deliver security, and said there will be no peace between Iran and the United States, while Tehran will not recognize Israel. Ghalibaf said a deal with the U.S., if reached, would be difficult to implement but possible, and stressed that the diplomatic process must consolidate gains made on the ground. U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that Iranians were "begging for a deal," after the two sides agreed to postpone negotiations by one week.