Posted on 06/24/2026 7:43:23 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding was “a declaration of America’s defeat,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday.
Iran’s armed forces imposed “heavy costs on the United States and the so-called Israeli regime” during the 110-day war, Ghalibaf told a meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Baku, Azerbaijan, Tehran’s IRNA news agency reported.
The Islamic Republic forced Washington to “retreat both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table,” Tehran’s top negotiator claimed.
Ghalibaf told attendees that Iran defined the retreat of American forces from the Middle East as a “strategic objective” and denounced Washington’s presence in the region as a “source of instability.”
The parliament speaker in his remarks extended the regime’s “hand of brotherhood and cooperation to all Islamic countries.”
“For us, a ceasefire in Lebanon is as important as a ceasefire in Iran, and ending the war in Lebanon is as important as ending the war in Iran,” Ghalibaf stated. He also defended Palestinian terrorism as “an expression of a nation’s legitimate resistance in the face of occupation.”
Ghalibaf said that “the experience of the past eighty years” showed that no lasting security in the region could be achieved without a “just resolution” of the Palestinian issue.
Iran remains ready to pursue security agreements with regional countries, including Gulf states, in addition to economic cooperation, he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday night claimed that he had Iran “ready to go down for the fall” and “willing to give us practically anything,” as he slammed the Senate for passing a war powers resolution directing him to remove American military forces from the conflict with Tehran.
The resolution conveyed to “the number one sponser [sic] of terror in the world that the United States doesn’t like what I am doing to them, and I must stop,” according to the president.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said he lifted the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports after the regime agreed to open its nuclear facilities to inspections and made other “major concessions.”
“However, all ships are remaining in place should it be necessary to reinstitute the blockade, which seems, at this point, highly unlikely,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump’s statement came after Ghalibaf vowed that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz “will never go back to the way they were before the war.”
“Of course, international regulations will be observed, but Iran will administer the Strait of Hormuz,” Ghalibaf told Iranian media as he returned from talks with U.S. representatives in Switzerland.
While the MoU calls for the immediate reopening of the strait to commercial shipping, Tehran reopened the strategic waterway “according to its own terms and timeline,” the negotiator claimed.
“This is the power of the Islamic Republic,” Ghalibaf said. “We forced Trump to amend the tweet he had published. This is the result of combining our hard and soft power.”
by its terms and the entire idea of the MOU talks in the first place,
TRUE
Ghalibaf is sure full of himself.
Dream a little dream....
Wednesday’s Reversal: The Senate rejected a subsequent measure to restrict the president’s war powers in a 47-50 vote. Republican Senator Rand Paul voted “present,” and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted for the resolution on Tuesday, flipped and voted against it on Wednesday.
OK Baghdad Bob.
statements like this are typical of the daily fail and of people who have the misfortune to live in Moose Limb countries. Pay no attention.
He’s smoking the good stuff.🙄
Absolutely a correct assessment (headline). It reads like usa is begging for humiliation, a capitulation stolen from the very jaws of VICTORY
The truth hurts.
Theatre of the most disturbed.
It's true. Sure, Iran's Air Force and Navy and leadership no longer exists, but look at all the bombs America has to pay someone to restock!
The war ends, Bibi’s corruption/bribery trial about “presents” he admits receiving resumes and he goes to jail, just like Trump said.
You do the math.
“The war ends, Bibi’s corruption/bribery trial about “presents” he admits receiving resumes and he goes to jail, just like Trump said.”
Obvious wishful thinking on your part.
Obvious denial of reality on your part.
He admits to receiving boatloads of “presents.”
Calling bribes “presents” doesn’t make them presents.
Obvious wishful thinking on your part.
The Bibi Files (2024) is a 1h 55m American documentary directed by Alexis Bloom and produced by Alex Gibney (with involvement from Israeli journalists like Raviv Drucker and Nimrod Novik). It is an investigative exposé centered on leaked Israeli police interrogation footage (from around 2017) of Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, his wife Sara, son Yair, and associates.
The film uses over 1,000 hours of secret recordings (illegal to broadcast in Israel but accessible for a U.S. production) alongside interviews with journalists, former officials (e.g., Ehud Olmert), security experts, and witnesses like Hadas Klein (former assistant to Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan). It portrays Netanyahu not just as a long-serving leader ("Mr. Security") but as someone whose personal corruption and desperation to avoid jail allegedly drove major political shifts, including alliances with extremists and policies linked to prolonged conflict.
Background and Structure
The documentary opens with Netanyahu's personal history. His older brother Yoni died heroically in the 1976 Entebbe raid, profoundly shaping Bibi's path into politics as Israel's protector. It contrasts this image with a family increasingly addicted to luxury and power.
The core is built around three main corruption cases (often called Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000 in Israeli media), using interrogation tapes where Netanyahu and his family appear evasive, entitled, or combative.
Key Cases and Allegations
Political Ramifications and October 7 Link
The film argues that Netanyahu's 2019 indictment on bribery, fraud, and breach of trust led him to cling to power at all costs. He formed alliances with far-right and fundamentalist parties previously considered untouchable, pushed judicial reforms in 2023 (seen as self-serving to weaken courts), and polarized the country, nearly sparking civil unrest.
Interviewees (including security officials) claim the post-October 7 war became a tool for political survival—prolonging conflict to delay elections and trials. The documentary ties personal corruption to broader consequences, including weakened security before the Hamas attack and ongoing devastation.
Style, Reception, and Themes
The film is edited like a political thriller: tightly paced, using raw interrogation footage for dramatic impact (Netanyahu sweating and evading). It blends leaks with expert analysis from Israeli insiders critical of Bibi.
It has strong critical acclaim (95% on Rotten Tomatoes from early reviews), praised as urgent, eye-opening, and essential viewing on power, corruption, and democracy. Critics note it feels like an inside job from Israeli journalists, not outsiders. Some see it as biased against Netanyahu; supporters view him as a master politician targeted by a "deep state" or rivals.
Overall Thesis: Netanyahu's ego, greed, and legal troubles allegedly corrupted Israeli democracy, empowered extremists, and contributed to national tragedy. It serves as a warning about leaders prioritizing self-preservation over the country. The full movie is available on platforms like YouTube (various uploads), Prime, etc.
This summary draws from the film's content, reviews, and available footage descriptions. For the complete experience, watching the documentary is recommended as the interrogation tapes are its most compelling element.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.