Updated

Senior Iranian figures—including Foreign Minister Araghchi, Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf, security chief Mohsen Rezaei, adviser Ali Akbar Velayati, President Pezeshkian, and Foreign Ministry spokesman Baqaei—issued a string of defiant statements this week responding to US and Israeli officials. Araghchi called Netanyahu a 'degenerate gambler' and 'wanted war criminal,' Ghalibaf warned the US it would 'kneel before Iran,' and Rezaei invoked Rome's historic defeat to reject US framing of a 'civilizational war.' Officials also criticized France's president over a perceived double standard on nuclear deterrence and pushed back against Secretary of State Rubio's remarks on Iran's civilization, framing Western pressure as bullying that Iran will not accept.