Shafaq News– Tehran

The United States can initiate a war but would not be able to control its outcome, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Thursday, asserting that thousands of US troops would fall within the range of Iranian forces if hostilities occur.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a parliamentary session, Ghalibaf added that Iran remains open to negotiations with the United States as long as they are “honest and genuine,” while vowing that Tehran would respond with overwhelming force to any attack on the country.

His remarks came after US President Donald Trump indicated that Iran is seeking negotiations, as Washington positions a large naval force in the Middle East. Trump told Axios that the US has a “big armada next to Iran, bigger than Venezuela,” referring to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, which entered the US Central Command area on January 26, though he has not made a final decision on military action.

Washington had previously considered strikes in response to Iran’s handling of protests that erupted in December 2025, before choosing to delay action and reinforce its military presence. According to the human rights group HRANA, aggregated data show 6,221 confirmed deaths linked to the protests as of the 31st day of unrest, including 5,858 protesters and 100 children, alongside 42,324 arrests and more than 11,000 severe injuries.

Tehran has also warned that any US strike, whether limited or wide-scale, would be treated as an “all-out war.” Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Pakpour declared that Iran has its “finger on the trigger,” underlining the country’s readiness to respond to any aggression.

Read more: Washington holds back: Calculated pressure, not war, shapes US policy toward Iran