TEHRAN, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran's president and parliament speaker on Thursday emphasized national unity and vowed retaliation against any "aggressor," amid heightened regional tensions and competing reports of internal political strain.
In a joint statement posted on social media, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran does not distinguish between "hardliners" and "moderates," adding that "all are Iranians and revolutionaries."
"With ironclad unity of nation and state and obedience to the Supreme Leader, we will make the aggressor regret its actions," the statement said.
The message stressed unity under "one God, one nation, one leader, one path," describing it as the basis for "victory for Iran." Several other senior leaders of the country also published statements calling for unity.
The comments, said the semi-official Mehr News Agency, came in response to remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who described Iran's leadership as "seriously fractured" while announcing an extension of a ceasefire.
Separately, Israel's Channel 12 reported that Ghalibaf has stepped back from overseeing international negotiations following intervention by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, and said internal power struggles are underway within Iran's leadership. The claims could not be independently verified. ■
