Iranian Parliament Presses for Escalation

Recent statements by Esmaeil Kowsari, a veteran of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and member of Iran’s Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee illustrate the emerging consensus among Iran’s hard-liner political establishment. He believes military confrontation with the United States should intensify, while Tehran avoids formally abandoning the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding. By portraying Washington as the cease-fire violator, Iranian leaders are seeking to justify continued escalation, preserve diplomatic legitimacy, and deter further U.S. military action.

• July 15: Esmaeil Kowsari, a veteran of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and member of Iran’s Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, in an interview with Tabnak News Agency, a mouthpiece of Major General Mohsen Rezaei, military advisor to the supreme leader, spoke about the United States and the conflict:
  • “This conflict was initiated by them and has continued because they violated the cease-fire. It is not the case that the country’s officials are indifferent to this issue.”
  • “The response that the Islamic Republic of Iran delivers to the United States is far more severe, but because the public does not see all dimensions of it, they assume that an appropriate response has not been given. The reports we receive indicate that Iran’s blows are far heavier than the actions carried out by the enemy. Most of the Islamic Republic’s missiles and drones target U.S. bases and military facilities in the Persian Gulf states and West Asia region.”
  • Turning to Gulf Cooperation Council states, Kowsari said: “We have informed the countries of the southern Persian Gulf and the region that if the United States seeks to go beyond military installations and expand its operations, the Islamic Republic will likewise extend its operations into their geographical territory … In some cases, this has already occurred, and Iran’s response has gone beyond the enemy’s actions. This war is still ongoing, and we should not imagine that it has ended. We must act decisively both in managing the Strait of Hormuz and in maintaining readiness for reciprocal action so that the enemy comes to regret its actions.”
  • Asked why Iran does not officially declare the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding terminated, despite the “U.S. violation of the cease-fire,” Kowsari said: “The Americans themselves violated the memorandum of understanding, and from a legal standpoint it is the United States that stands condemned before the international community … The Islamic Republic of Iran has not revoked the memorandum of understanding, and for that reason it remains the aggrieved party from a legal perspective … Just as it was the United States that violated the JCPOA, today it is again the United States that has violated the memorandum of understanding. This is entirely clear in the international arena.”

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