Iran's Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, slammed the U.S. amid rising tensions in the region, accusing Washington of escalating the war through its actions.

Ghalibaf Says Americans Are Bringing Military Equipment into the Region

On Monday, the Parliament Speaker took to X, slamming the U.S. for "bringing new military equipment into the region" while claiming that they want to stop the war, he said. Ghalibaf added that Iran was aware of "recognizing these American antics" and that Tehran had prepared itself accordingly.

Ghalibaf also took a sarcastic jibe at Washington, saying that the U.S. was gauging Iran's "intelligence" but taking its own "meager" IQ as the "yardstick." He then said that the U.S.'s claims must also be backed by actions and not "contradict" them.

Iran War Updates

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had conducted fresh strikes on Iranian targets in the region at President Donald Trump's behest. The strikes marked ten consecutive days of strikes on Iran. Trump also said that the strikes were retaliation for U.S. service members being killed.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have said that they initiated a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which is a gateway to the Red Sea and would affect the global oil supply by 7%, according to a report by Reuters on Monday.

On the other hand, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said that it had recorded an incident of an oil tanker being struck by an unknown projectile that had resulted in the crew abandoning the vessel via lifeboats approximately 9 miles off Limah, Oman. The authority had earlier said that a vessel had caught fire in the area.

Disclaimer: The comments made by Iranian officials cited in the article were originally in Farsi and have been translated into English.