BY SCM ONLINE REPORTER
IRAN’S powerful parliament speaker has issued a menacing warning to the United States, declaring that Washington “must pay the price” for Israel’s escalating military campaign in Lebanon.
In a fiery statement that has dramatically ratcheted up regional tensions, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that America is directly complicit in alleged war crimes.
Taking to social media platform X, the hardline Iranian politician warned ominously: “Every choice has a price, and the bill comes due. It will all fall into place.”
The chilling threat comes as hopes for peace in the region lie in tatters. High-stakes, secret negotiations between Lebanon, the US, and Israel at the Pentagon collapsed over the weekend after nine grueling hours of deadlocked talks.
Sources reveal the ceasefire collapsed after Israel flatly rejected a Lebanese proposal for a troop withdrawal. Instead, intelligence reports suggest the US and Israel are orchestrating a high-pressure diplomatic plot, using the threat of continued military action to force the Lebanese government into completely disarming the militant group Hezbollah.
While politicians bicker in Washington, ordinary families are caught in the crossfire. A devastating Israeli naval blockade coupled with intensified aerial bombardments has turned southern Lebanon into a war zone.
Local reports confirm that thousands of terrified residents have been forced to grab what few belongings they can carry and flee for their lives. Roads are choked with refugees heading north toward Mount Lebanon, Tripoli, and safer sectors of Beirut.
Yet, for many, escape is impossible. Desperate civilians remain trapped inside active conflict zones under a rain of fire, with the death toll rising by the hour.
The collapse of the Pentagon talks is a catastrophic setback for Middle Eastern diplomacy, which had recently shown fragile signs of stability. Only recently, Iran had signaled a willingness to de-escalate tensions on all regional fronts.
In a surprising diplomatic breakthrough, Tehran had reached a Pakistan-mediated agreement with the United States to halt its proxy retaliatory attacks on American and Israeli positions across the region.
That fragile truce now appears to be hanging by a thread.
The roots of the current conflict trace back to decades of friction between Israel and Hezbollah, the heavily armed, Iran-backed political and military force that wields immense power within Lebanon. Israel views Hezbollah as its most immediate existential threat on its northern border, while Iran uses the group as a vital proxy to project power and deter Israeli or American aggression.
By launching a total naval blockade and intensifying its blitz, Israel aims to sever Hezbollah’s supply lines from the Mediterranean.
However, Iran argues that by backing these tactics and failing to enforce a ceasefire, America has broken its diplomatic promises.
Speaker Ghalibaf made it clear that Tehran views the escalating violence as a joint US-Israeli operation.
“The naval blockade and escalation of war crimes in Lebanon by the genocidal Zionist regime are clear evidence of U.S.
noncompliance with the ceasefire,” he stated.
Despite the bitter breakdown at the Pentagon, Lebanon’s presidency has desperately expressed readiness for renewed talks.
But with Iran explicitly warning that America’s “bill” is now due, the shadow of a wider, catastrophic war hangs heavier than ever over the Middle East.