Ghalibaf: Israel Seeks to Weaken and Fragment the Islamic Ummah
WANA (Jan 19) – The Speaker of Iran’s Parliament said on Sunday that what he described as “American–Zionist terrorists” have failed both in a recent internal security confrontation and in a military confrontation launched earlier this year, stressing that the Israeli regime’s ultimate goal is to weaken and fragment the Islamic world in order to dominate it.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made the remarks during a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, who is visiting Tehran at the head of a delegation for bilateral talks with Iranian officials. The meeting took place on Sunday afternoon at the Iranian Parliament.
At the outset of the meeting, Ghalibaf congratulated Iraq on the successful holding of its recent elections and on the election of Mohammed al-Halbousi as Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives. He described the elections as a turning point for the Iraqi government and people and expressed hope that efforts to form a new government would be concluded on schedule.
Referring to the breadth of Iran–Iraq relations, particularly in trade exchanges and infrastructure connectivity, Ghalibaf said that deeper ties between the two governments and nations would have broader positive effects on cohesion among Islamic and Arab countries.
“Israel Seeks Weak and Dependent States”
Ghalibaf said the Israeli regime, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is pursuing a strategy aimed at preventing regional countries from becoming independent and strong. According to him, Tel Aviv consistently seeks to undermine the independence and power of regional states by fomenting division and discord.
He added that Israel, exploiting regional conditions and with the support of the United States and European countries, is attempting to turn itself into the region’s dominant military power. In this context, he said, Israel decided—backed by Washington—to carry out a military attack against Iran earlier this year, believing it could neutralise Iran’s aerospace capabilities.
“However,” Ghalibaf said, “thanks to divine grace, the efforts of the armed forces, and the awareness of the Iranian people in confronting the external enemy, they failed to achieve any of their malicious objectives, and Iran’s missile capability became a point of strength.”
Failure of “Internal Terrorist War”
Ghalibaf also said that the Israeli regime staged another “terrorist war” in Iran’s urban environment about 10 days ago as part of its broader objectives. He claimed that the U.S. president openly supported the unrest and promised assistance to what he described as terrorists.
“They thought they could carry out a terrorist operation from within, destabilize the country, and then launch a military attack from outside,” he said.
The Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on January 18, 2026. Social media/ WANA News Agency
According to the parliament speaker, armed elements inside the country, along with militants allegedly supported by foreign enemies, carried out terrorist operations across various parts of Iran. “But within 48 hours, when the people separated their ranks from the terrorists, they failed,” he said.
Ghalibaf noted that these actions were more violent than similar terrorist activities previously seen in Syria and Iraq, adding that Iranian security forces acted swiftly and arrested the ringleaders. “The enemy was defeated in this internal terrorist confrontation just as it was defeated in the military war it launched earlier this year,” he said.
“Goal Is to Fragment Islamic Countries”
Ghalibaf warned that any retreat by Islamic and regional countries in the face of Israel would weaken all Islamic states and ultimately the Islamic Ummah as a whole. He pointed to developments in Syria and Iraq, as well as attacks on Qatar, claiming that Israel had played a role in the fragmentation of countries such as Sudan and Somalia.
“They have no objective other than weakening and fragmenting the Islamic Ummah in order to dominate it,” he said.
Iraqi FM: We Will Explain Iran Developments Internationally
For his part, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein expressed satisfaction with his visit to Iran and briefed Iranian officials on Iraq’s recent elections. He said the security of Iran and Iraq constitutes a major pillar of regional security and that the two countries’ security is fundamentally interconnected.
Hussein said the analyses he had heard during his visit would be important in clarifying realities for international public opinion. He emphasized that relations between Tehran and Baghdad should not be limited to government-to-government ties and called for strengthening people-to-people relations as well.
“We hope to expand relations between Iran and Iraq at all levels,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission; Mohammad Taqi Naqdali, head of the Iran–Iraq Parliamentary Friendship Group; Mojtaba Zarei, a member of the same commission; and Abolfazl Amouei, special assistant to the parliament speaker for international affairs.
On the same day, Fuad Hussein also held talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister and Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
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