Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that U.S. President Donald Trump has the ability to start a war but cannot control its course, threatening that in the event of war, Iran would confront American forces with strength. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Iranian threats are real, noting the presence of between 30,000 and 40,000 American soldiers in the region. Trump called on Iran to come to the negotiating table, accusing it of previously failing to respond to offers, and stressed that the military fleet heading toward the region is the largest.
On Thursday, Ghalibaf stated that President Trump may be able to start a war but is incapable of controlling it, warning that thousands of American soldiers would be within range of Iranian forces if war breaks out.
He explained in a press conference that Iran is ready to negotiate with the United States provided that the negotiations are “honest and genuine,” while affirming that Iran will respond to any attack it faces.
He added, “Any military confrontation will put thousands of American soldiers in danger,” cautioning against “the consequences of escalation in the region.”
He emphasized, “President Donald Trump may be able to start a war, but he does not have control over how it ends,” referring to what he described as the inability to manage the course of military conflicts.
In the same context, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the United States considers Iran’s threats to strike American forces in the region to be real.
Rubio told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: “The reality is that American forces are within range of thousands of Iranian drones and short- and long-range ballistic missiles that threaten our presence.”
He continued, “Regarding our presence in the region, I want to establish a basic point: there are between 30,000 and 40,000 American soldiers stationed at 8 to 9 facilities in the region.”
He added, “We need sufficient forces in the region to defend against the reality that, at some point and due to certain events, the Iranian regime may decide to attack our forces there. President Trump always retains the right to use preemptive defensive options.”
Earlier, President Trump announced that the United States hopes Iran will quickly come to the negotiating table, warning that any future attack would be “much worse” than before.
Trump explained in a post on the “Truth Social” platform that a fleet he described as “massive” is heading toward Iran, stressing that it is moving quickly, with great strength, and with a clear purpose.
He called on Tehran to negotiate a “fair and balanced deal” that includes not possessing nuclear weapons, considering that time is running out.
The U.S. president noted that Iran had previously failed to respond to calls for an agreement, which led to the implementation of “Operation Midnight Hammer” in June 2025, which he said caused significant destruction in Iran, warning that the next attack would be even harsher.
Trump added that “the fleet heading to the region is larger than the one sent to Venezuela, led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln,” affirming that it is “ready and capable of carrying out its mission quickly and forcefully if necessary.”
For his part, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, on Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to take a firm stance against continued American threats to use force against sovereign states and attempts to impose control over foreign territories.