Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf defended dialogue with the United States, saying negotiations do not signify retreat but resistance aimed at protecting national interests. His comments appeared in an open letter published by Iran’s state news agency IRNA, according to Al Jazeera.

Responding to criticism of negotiations published in the Iranian daily Kayhan, Ghalibaf said rational action and authoritative dialogue should not be wrongly defined as compromise or passivity. He argued that efforts to prevent an enemy from taking away the nation’s rights should not be portrayed as surrender.

Ghalibaf said the state must preserve and protect its instruments of power to consolidate gains from war and guide the country safely past what he described as a serious, planned disaster by the enemy. He also said it would be wrong to avoid responsibility for talks with the United States or to label every achievement by the negotiating team as betrayal.