In a statement on X, Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has reaffirmed the Iranian public’s willingness to take up arms and defend the country against aggression from the United States and Israel.

He opens the statement recalling how his brother was killed fighting for Iran.

“He wasn’t the only one. I lost brothers who weren’t blood but were family just the same, men who fought like lions and became part of me forever,” Ghalibaf writes.

“But that’s what we do. We give everything we’ve got for the land we love. We poured out our youth, our blood, and every tomorrow we had for Iran. We are not warmongers. But when the time comes to defend our homeland, every last one of us becomes a soldier.”

He also refers to a “powerful national campaign” across Iran, in which he claims 7 million Iranians have “already stepped up and declared they’re ready to pick up arms and stand in defence of our nation”.

“Iranians don’t just talk about defending their country; we bleed for it. We’ve done it before, and we’re ready to do it again,” Ghalibaf affirms.

“You come for our home … you’re going to meet the whole family. Locked, loaded, and standing tall. Bring it on.”