Iranian lawmaker Kamran Ghazanfari said that the region is “practically on the brink of World War III.”
The report of his comments appeared in Iran International. Ghazanfari has been known for some outlandish claims. For instance, he claimed in the past that Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi was assassinated by Israel and its allies in 2024.
The Ghazanfari comments are interesting because they likely illustrate how some of Iran’s more extremist politicians and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) elites view the war. They see it as a regional and global conflict.
The Islamic Republic has worked with Russia and China and has hopes that it can challenge the US-led world order. Iran has long portrayed its Islamic Revolution as a unique event that would transform the region and the world.
This goes back to the fact that Iranian Islamists believed they were presenting a new path during the Cold War that was different from those of the American and Soviet blocs. That changed in the 1990s when the Soviet Union declined.
While Iran has at times considered reconciliation with the United States, it has also sought to position itself alongside countries that want a new world order. Weakening the US and pushing it out of the Middle East is a key goal of Tehran.
Iran International noted on September 9: “Ghazanfari, a Tehran representative in the parliament, said that we are ‘practically on the brink of World War III’ and considered the expansion of the war between Russia and Ukraine and the increase in tension between world powers as grounds for the formation of a widespread conflict.”
The report noted that he made the comments in an interview with the official Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA).
“Ghazanfari said that NATO’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia – and Moscow’s tensions with Britain and Germany – have increased the possibility of the conflict spreading to other European countries. He also called the US-China dispute over Taiwan another area of widespread conflict in the world.”
In the interview, Ghazanfari also focused on Iran’s plan to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). “According to him, there is a possibility that this issue will be put on the parliament’s agenda again.”
In the past, he has critiqued the chances of a US deal. For instance, in June he criticized the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US. At the time, it seemed America and Iran might be able to reach an agreement. Ghazanfari said that any deal with the US would lack legitimacy and not be binding.
At the time, Iran International reported that “Iranian lawmaker Kamran Ghazanfari” said in a “warning to the negotiating team” that they should not cross any of the supreme leader’s red lines.
US reportedly threatens Iran, members of negotiation team
“Ghazanfari added that the United States had repeatedly threatened Iran and members of its negotiating team during the two-month talks, saying any deal reached under such conditions would have no validity under international law,” Iran International said.
Ghazanfari has also warned in the past about American and Israeli plans for a broader military operation. He claimed that the US might seize Iranian islands.”
“Evidence and signs show that the United States and Israel are planning a large-scale operation. They probably intend to seize some of our islands in the south and have brought many forces and equipment into the region,” he said.
Iran’s regime is currently continuing attacks in the region. Its recent attacks on Jordan and threats to attack tankers indicate that it wants to show that it can respond in kind to any US strikes and is telegraphing that it will not back down.