Iranian official: US "does not understand the language of diplomacy" and will not lift sanctions

Ebrahim Azizi, chair of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Iran's parliament, issued a blunt message on the social network X on August 21, 2026, accusing the United States of failing to engage through diplomacy.

In his post Azizi said Washington would neither lift sanctions nor release Iranian assets, and accused it of continuing what he called "maritime piracy."

Azizi's warning and forecast

Azizi wrote that the United States had “shown that they do not understand the language of diplomacy,” and added that, in his view, the U.S. would not remove sanctions or free Iranian funds. He also used the phrase "maritime piracy" to describe U.S. actions at sea.

He concluded the message with a forecast of reversal: "But history will show that by the language of power they will be forced not only to take such steps but also to apologize to the great Iranian nation and leave the region forever," attributing both the criticism and the prediction to his post on X.

The statement from a senior parliamentary security official adds to regularly voiced Iranian criticisms of U.S. policy; Azizi's post gives a clear warning rather than opening a diplomatic channel in public remarks.

Photo: press material from the event