IRAN’S parliamentary speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf today declared a military and political victory in the war against the United States and Israel. 

The remarks came on the same day that the 60-day memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed with the US officially expired.

Mr Ghalibaf said: “I say with all my heart that we truly won this war, both militarily and politically. This does not mean that we destroyed the US military. 

“What I mean is that the US and Israel attacked us with nine specific, declared objectives, but failed to achieve any of those nine objectives at any level.”

He said it was the “greatest absolute defeat” for both the US and Israel.

He added: “In the diplomatic sphere as well, the agreement is a source of pride and a victory on the diplomatic battlefield.”

Senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Brigadier General Yadollah Javani responded to the expiry of the MoU yesterday by saying Iran’s defensive posture was poised to shift to an offensive one under a new “maximum deterrence” policy.

There is no sign that either side is willing to extend the deal, which was broken by the US soon after it came into force.

In a post to Telegram on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “We have not yet made a decision to restart negotiations with the United States.” 

Even so, mediators from Qatar and Pakistan continued to exchange messages with Iran in a bid to find a deal. 

The MoU, signed on June 17 by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, followed rare high-level talks hosted by Pakistan. 

It was meant to bring an end to more than three months of war that had killed thousands and crippled commercial movement in the Gulf, especially oil and gas exports relied on globally.

The deal left complex issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme to be dealt with later, and sought to find an immediate diplomatic solution to halt the war with Tehran and end Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.

Israel never ceased its attacks on Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump told Fox News today that there are backchannels for talks with the Iranian.

But he said the Iranians “should put up the white flag of surrender,” as he claimed his own victory in the conflict.

Writing on social media today, Mr Trump said: “The number one goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a nuclear weapon.”