The Islamic Republic is in “a full-fledged war with America, Israel, and Europe,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview published on the country’s supreme leader’s official website on Saturday.
“They do not want our country to stand on its feet. This war is worse than Iraq’s war against us,” he continued, referencing the eight-year conflict that spanned the 1980s.
“If one understands it well, this war is far more complex and difficult than that war. In the war with Iraq, the situation was clear, they fired missiles, and we knew where to hit. Here, they are besieging us from every aspect, they are creating problems for us in terms of livelihood, culturally, politically, and security-wise.”
Later in the interview, the Iranian official added, regarding further potential conflicts with the US and Israel, that “despite all the problems we face, we are now, in terms of both equipment and personnel, far stronger than we were during their previous attacks.
"Therefore, if they choose to strike, they will then naturally face a more decisive response.”
Recent US-Israel discussions on Iran, Gaza
The interview with Pezeshkian comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with US President Donald Trump this week in Florida.
“They will discuss the future steps and phases, and the International Stabilization Force of the ceasefire plan,” Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian had said earlier this month.
Days before the Pezeshkian interview, a US State Department official told Walla that Iran’s conduct in the Middle East and around the world continues to be viewed by Washington as a destabilizing factor, but that the Trump administration is seeking to tighten the noose around Iran through sanctions, international isolation, and diplomatic pressure, rather than a new military front similar to the war in June.
Amichai Stein, James Genn, and Idan Kweller contributed to this report.