Iran’s parliamentary speaker has accused the United States of secretly planning a ground invasion, despite appearing to pursue diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East conflict. Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Iranian forces are ready to respond if US troops enter the country, warning that they would be set on fire and pledging retaliation against regional partners. He also called for national unity, saying the conflict has reached a most critical stage.
The United States Ship (USS) Tripoli, carrying 3,500 sailors and Marines, has arrived in the Middle East, said US Central Command (CENTCOM). In a related development, the Chief of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, met with Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir and senior Israeli military officials in Israel to discuss the ongoing conflict with Iran and efforts to curb Tehran’s weapons production.
Earlier, an Israeli military spokesperson said the IDF expects to complete strikes on all critical components of Iran’s military production within days. Meanwhile, Iran’s joint military command has declared private residences of US and Israeli officials as legitimate targets. Spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari said the move targets military and political officials in the region, including Israel, in response to attacks on Iranian residential areas by the United States and Israel.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has also strongly condemned the US-Israeli strikes targeting Iranian universities and educational institutes, accusing both countries of attempting to suppress knowledge through violence and intimidation amid the West Asia conflict. Following this, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stern warning that American and Israeli universities in the West Asian region could be considered legitimate targets in retaliation.
In diplomatic efforts, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, and Pakistan met in Islamabad to discuss ways to de-escalate the conflict and promote regional security. The meeting came amid delays in direct US-Iran talks, but no joint statement was issued. The death toll continues to rise as over 3,000 people have been killed in the war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. More than 1,900 have died in Iran, 19 in Israel, 1,100 in Lebanon, 80 in Iraq, and 20 in the Gulf states.
