IRGC refutes Trump’s claim of backchannel talks, calls it ‘result of his delusions’

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohbehi on Monday denied President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington was engaged in backchannel discussions with Iran’s IRGC.

“There are no talks taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans, and this lie by Trump is merely fantasies caused by the delusions and nightmares he has suffered as a result of defeat and desperation in the war,” Mohbehi was quoted as saying by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News agency.

He further stressed that the IRGC “speaks its word on the battlefield” and that the “diplomatic matters fall within the remit of other parts of the Islamic Republic.”

Also Read: Supreme Court rejects Trump’s renewed appeal to block E. Jean Carroll award

“According to the information we have and based on the statements of the respected officials of the Foreign Ministry, even in this area, no talks are currently taking place with the Americans because of their broken promises and the dark experience of repeated and continual US breaches of commitments,” the IRGC spokesman said.

Mohbehi further said that Trump’s mental fantasies will not help him on the field and added that the US president’s only real option is to accept defeat and meet Iran’s conditions.

“The sooner and faster the Americans accept their failure and make decisions accordingly, the more they can save their country from greater and heavier losses," Mohebbi warned. He also accused Trump of using his statements to temporarily manipulate global oil and energy prices.

‘Victory lies in unity,’ says Iran’s judiciary chief

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei said that the country must not become complacent about the “enemy’s plots in hybrid warfare”, and emphasised that the “key to victory is unity and following the supreme leader”.

Also Read: ‘We cannot live with war’: Former Iran president warns against prolonged conflict, urges diplomacy

“Following the defeat of the US enemy against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the beliefs and perceptions of the leaders of US-aligned countries regarding our country’s power have changed,” he added.

Various leaders and heads of administration and judiciary have been stressing unity among the Iranian people, who have been facing severe crackdowns by the regime before the war.

‘Internet censorship to end,’ says Iran’s vice president

Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said Monday that President Masoud Pezeshkian has decided the country’s censorship of the internet should be brought to an end, although he said the process would take time due to the involvement of myriad legal bodies and councils.

Also Read: Vande Mataram row: Which section of the new law can put Sonia Gandhi in the dock

Iran’s Tasnim News agency reported Aref as saying that improving the quality of internet connectivity for Iranians was a priority for the government, but he warned that Iran’s enemies were seeking to use economic pressure to undermine social resilience.

He also urged Iranian media to take a more assertive role, saying, “The media must shift from a defensive position to an offensive one; because in media work, the first narrator is the winner.”