Mohammadreza Bahonar, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, told the state news agency IRNA: “In the negotiations, no one should back down and become submissive, and now we must negotiate from a position of strength. We must preserve and protect the honor, dignity, and the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran with all our being, and we must always be vigilant.”

Bahonar added: “Over the 47 years since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, we have never been the initiator of a war; but we have advanced our defensive and security capabilities to such an extent that we will cut off the hand of anyone who tries to extend it to commit aggression against Islamic Iran.”