Ghalibaf: Any Attack on Iran Will Ignite the Entire Region

Iranians display cartoon models representing the US president and the Israeli prime minister during a march in Tehran on March 28, 2025 (AFP).
Iranians display cartoon models representing the US president and the Israeli prime minister during a march in Tehran on March 28, 2025 (AFP).
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Ghalibaf: Any Attack on Iran Will Ignite the Entire Region

Iranians display cartoon models representing the US president and the Israeli prime minister during a march in Tehran on March 28, 2025 (AFP).
Iranians display cartoon models representing the US president and the Israeli prime minister during a march in Tehran on March 28, 2025 (AFP).

Iran has warned that any US attack on its territory could lead to the explosion of the entire Middle East, hinting at potential strikes on American bases in the region.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on Friday: “If the United States carries out its military threat against Iran due to the failure to reach a new nuclear agreement, its bases in the region will not be safe.” He added: “Any attack on Iran will mean the explosion of the entire region,” according to Tasnim, a news agency affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iran claimed that it had exercised “restraint and balance” in its response to a message from US President Donald Trump while reaffirming its rejection of military threats and its willingness for indirect talks with Washington.
Iranian state television quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying that Iran had sent its response to Trump’s message through Oman. He reiterated that Iran’s policy is to avoid direct negotiations with the US while it continues its “maximum pressure” campaign and military threats. However, Araghchi noted that Iran “may engage in indirect negotiations with the US, as it has done in the past.”
Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, described Iran’s response to Trump’s message as “measured,” stating that it included “a willingness for indirect dialogue.” Shamkhani, who oversees Iran’s nuclear negotiations, explained that the country’s specialized agencies had carefully crafted the response, ensuring that Iran’s stance was conveyed clearly while maintaining diplomatic restraint.
“Iran has always conducted indirect talks with the Americans, and if such talks are based on mutual respect, we are open to taking further steps toward negotiation,” Shamkhani said.
He added: “We take every threat seriously—not out of surrender, but to confront it. The Iranian people have never and will never accept submission. We are confident that the United States has no choice but to adopt a fair approach in any dialogue with Iran.”
Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, another senior adviser to Khamenei, expressed optimism about the current diplomatic path between Tehran and Washington, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.
“We will reach a conclusion, and we are optimistic. The agreement must be acceptable to both parties, not just one,” Larijani stated.
Commenting on US threats of military action against Iran, Larijani remarked: “Those who intend to act do not talk too much.”
Ghalibaf also criticized Trump’s message, stating that it did not contain “any logical discussion about lifting sanctions,” according to Tasnim.

 



Russian Drones Batter Ukraine’s Odesa as Peace Talks Come to a Crux 

A man stands amid debris in the aftermath of a mass overnight drone attack by Russian forces, at a location given as Odesa, Ukraine, April 21, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Mayor of Odesa Hennadiy Trukhanov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)
A man stands amid debris in the aftermath of a mass overnight drone attack by Russian forces, at a location given as Odesa, Ukraine, April 21, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Mayor of Odesa Hennadiy Trukhanov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)
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Russian Drones Batter Ukraine’s Odesa as Peace Talks Come to a Crux 

A man stands amid debris in the aftermath of a mass overnight drone attack by Russian forces, at a location given as Odesa, Ukraine, April 21, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Mayor of Odesa Hennadiy Trukhanov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)
A man stands amid debris in the aftermath of a mass overnight drone attack by Russian forces, at a location given as Odesa, Ukraine, April 21, 2025, in this still image taken from video. (Mayor of Odesa Hennadiy Trukhanov via Telegram/Handout via Reuters)

Russian drones battered the Ukrainian port city of Odesa in a nighttime attack, local authorities said Tuesday, less than 24 hours after a purported Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by Moscow ended and just over a day before Ukrainian, British, French and US officials are due to meet in London to discuss the war. 

Anticipation is building over whether diplomatic efforts can stop more than three years of fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. 

Trump said last week negotiations were “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding war. 

This came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last week the US might soon back away from negotiations altogether if they don't progress. He spoke in Paris after talks among US, Ukrainian and European officials produced outlines for steps toward peace and appeared to make some long-awaited progress. 

A new meeting is expected Wednesday in London, and Rubio suggested it could be decisive in determining whether the Trump administration continues its involvement. 

Odesa came under a “massive attack” by Russian drones overnight, injuring at least three people, the head of Odesa regional administration, Oleh Kiper, wrote on his Telegram page Tuesday. 

A residential building in a densely populated urban area, civilian infrastructure and an educational facility were hit, he said. 

The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 54 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, marking a resumption of long-range attacks that have blasted civilian areas and sown terror throughout the war. 

Russia has stepped up in the past months its use of Shahed drones, expanding its production of the weapon and refining its tactics, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a recently published analysis. 

After Putin declared a unilateral ceasefire on Saturday, Ukraine said it was ready to reciprocate but said Russian attacks were continuing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times. 

The Associated Press was unable to verify whether a ceasefire was in place along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. 

Russia has effectively rejected a US proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching conditions. 

Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for the spring-summer military campaign, Ukrainian and Western officials say.