Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf stressed Wednesday that Iran is fighting an "existential war" with the United States, noting that Washington's goal is not limited to overthrowing the Iranian regime but extends to "fragmenting the country," as he put it.

Qalibaf emphasized that Iran's approach, whether in war or negotiations, must be based on national interests and security, stressing the importance of employing diplomatic tools and negotiations alongside military force to achieve and secure national interests.

He explained that the Iranian armed forces have "full freedom" to continue their operations to confront what he described as "aggression," noting that Iranian national security is based on maintaining "Iranian arrangements" in the Strait of Hormuz.

Qalibaf said that Tehran "sees no reason to commit to any memorandum of understanding if it will not benefit from it," stressing that his country "has no choice but to rely on its own strength."

He added that Iran "has never welcomed war and will never welcome it," but it will remain "ready to fight and endure to the end in defense of its national security and interests."

In the same context, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a new wave of military strikes against Iran, confirming that its goal is to weaken the military capabilities that Tehran uses to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM indicated that the strikes began at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time and lasted about 90 minutes, targeting coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island.

In response, Iranian media and officials reported that several sites in Bushehr province were targeted, with casualties, in the latest escalation of confrontations between the two countries.

CENTCOM confirmed that the strikes contributed to weakening Iran's ability to attack commercial ships in the strategic strait.