TEHRAN – Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Monday that the issue of Palestine has become the foremost concern of global public opinion, urging the Islamic world to raise the political cost of normalizing relations with Israel.

Speaking during a meeting in Tehran with Jamil Mazhar, Deputy Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Qalibaf emphasized that the Islamic Ummah must hold their governments accountable and push back against efforts to portray ties with the Israeli regime as acceptable.

“We must make normalization costly for those countries,” Qalibaf said. “It is our shared responsibility to ensure the suffering of the Palestinian people and the plight of Gaza remain in the global spotlight.”

He praised the Palestinian people’s ongoing struggle, describing it as a source of pride for the Islamic world, and expressed hope for the swift release of the PFLP’s Secretary-General, currently held by Israel. 

For his part, Mazhar thanked Iran for its unwavering support, calling the Iranian Parliament “the Parliament of the Resistance Axis.”

He paid tribute to late Hassan Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, and Yahya Sinwar as martyrs in recognition of their roles in the struggle against Israel.

Mazhar’s visit coincided with the 36th anniversary of the passing of late Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. He credited Imam Khomeini with making Palestine the central cause of the Islamic world and praised the Iranian Revolution for standing by the oppressed.

Mazhar also thanked the Iranian Parliament for consistently defending Palestine in regional and international forums. “We value Iran’s firm and principled position at every level in confronting the war being waged on the Palestinian people,” he said.

Mazhar described the October 7 operation as a “turning point” in the conflict with Israel, claiming it delivered a major military and security blow to the regime and changed the balance of deterrence in favor of the resistance.

He further praised Iran’s recent “True Promise” missile operations as a strategic success, saying they played a key role in reshaping the rules of engagement.

In closing, Mazhar congratulated Iran on a reported intelligence breakthrough that allegedly uncovered sensitive Israeli sites through obtained documents, saying such advances enhance Iran’s offensive capabilities.