Tehran: Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has referred to the long-standing hostility of global arrogance toward Iranian students, praising them for standing against foreign domination.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, marking Student Day on December 7, the speaker said that the global hegemonic system holds a deep-rooted hostility toward Iranian students, emphasizing that students have long stood single-handedly against exploitation and foreign interference, particularly by the United States.

Ghalibaf highlighted the role of students as social figures throughout Iran’s contemporary history, noting that they not only resisted authoritarianism and external pressure but also guided broader national movements.

Honoring the memories of the three students killed during the events of December 7, 1953, as well as student martyrs of the Iran-Iraq war and the recent 12-day conflict imposed by the Israeli regime, he said their sacrifices helped the nation understand that democracy and development never emerge from the barrel of hegemonic powers’ guns.

The speaker also commended the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy for its recent large-scale military drill in the Persian Gulf, the Naze’at Islands, and the Strait of Hormuz. He praised the accurate missile strikes and the successful testing of long-range, precision missiles developed by Iranian experts, calling the achievement a source of national pride.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ghalibaf strongly rejected baseless and absurd claims made in the latest Persian Gulf Cooperation Council statement regarding the Iranian islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. He urged neighboring states not to challenge Iran’s resolve to defend its territorial integrity and encouraged the government to allocate sufficient resources in the upcoming budget for developing these islands.