Pezeshkian rejects US pressure and admits domestic economic strain during Tehran address

Official address in Tehran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a national address on state television on Sunday to mark Government Week, insisting that the country will not capitulate to intensifying foreign pressure. Speaking at a ceremony dedicated to renewing allegiance to the ideals of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Pezeshkian addressed remarks reported by the semi-official Mehr news agency to the domestic public. The president accused the United States of working systematically to isolate Tehran by pressuring neighboring Muslim governments to avoid trade or diplomatic accords. Pezeshkian asserted that pre-war American predictions had anticipated a rapid internal collapse that would turn Iran into a failed state comparable to Venezuela. He argued instead that the nation had demonstrated resistance, solidarity, and cohesion that surprised foreign observers.

The objective of the enemy was the collapse of Iran, but this did not happen. They close roads and negotiate with Muslim governments so that they do not make any agreement with Iran to make it surrender, but we will never surrender.

Economic crisis and government commitments

Alongside his defiant rhetoric toward Washington, Pezeshkian acknowledged the acute economic hardship confronting Iranian society. The president stated that his administration feels ashamed of the severe economic difficulties and is making focused efforts to bring down high inflation and reduce unemployment. He described the present crisis as an unequal, full-scale confrontation spanning military, economic, and security fronts. His remarks follow an announcement on Thursday by the United States government of a new sanctions package aimed at bringing down the Iranian regime, nearly six months into the war. Pezeshkian affirmed that his government remains dedicated to securing dignified livelihoods and protecting the purchasing power of the population.

We are engaged in a full-scale war on the economic, military, and security fronts. Trump states unequivocally that he is imposing the most crushing or formidable sanctions on Iran, but we oppose this unequal war.

Protests and internal division

Iranian society has experienced recurring waves of domestic unrest driven by deteriorating living standards and currency depreciation. In late December, public demonstrations initially triggered by sharp increases in the cost of living expanded into nationwide anti-government protests across several urban centers. Iranian authorities officially acknowledged more than 3,000 fatalities from that wave of unrest, attributing the casualties to terrorist actions orchestrated by the United States and Israel. Foreign non-governmental organizations contested that narrative, documenting thousands of deaths resulting from state security crackdowns against demonstrators. Pezeshkian warned in his address that foreign adversaries intend to exploit these domestic grievances to manufacture social rifts, pledging that the state would work to prevent internal division and conflict.

Public demonstrations and cyber operations

Public events in the capital mirrored the combative stance expressed during the presidential address. In Tehran's Revolution Square, crowds gathered waving national flags and chanting slogans while hanging effigies bearing the faces of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The geopolitical friction between Iran and Western states also extended into the digital infrastructure domain. According to reporting from The Telegraph, hackers affiliated with the Iranian regime shut down a power plant in the United Kingdom for four days. The incident caused a multi-day disruption targeting a British energy facility.