Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that pressure on his country from the United States has reached a critical and dangerous stage, speaking in India ahead of the BRICS summit.
"Iran has been subjected to heavy sanctions in recent years; this pressure has reached a critical and dangerous stage in recent months following the military aggression by the United States and Israel," he said on Friday.
"The world today is going through a period of unprecedented complexity," he added.
Last month, the US launched Operation Economic Outcast, a new set of “unprecedented” curbs meant to choke off “every remaining economic lifeline” sustaining the Iranian government six months into the US-Israeli war against Tehran.
Tehran’s resilience
Earlier, Pezeshkian said he does not support continuing the war with the US, calling for the country's resilience to be strengthened for the next phase.
His remarks came during a meeting with heads of Iranian universities, according to Mehr News Agency.
Pezeshkian said, “I am not in favour of continuing the war, but we must strengthen the country’s resilience in the face of upcoming developments.”
Strengthening the country’s resilience requires following a path that does not force Iran to negotiate with the “enemy” from a position of weakness, he said, calling on universities to support the government in this regard.
Economic measures must take into account existing social conditions, the Iranian president said, warning that un-calculated steps would be harmful rather than remedial.
“We must benefit even from the contributions of Generation Z students to solve society’s problems and ensure their participation in presenting solutions instead of engaging in protests,” he said.
Pezeshkian stressed that, as president, he has no political ties to specific groups, saying he is open to cooperation with all political currents and anyone who helps address the country’s crises.
The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to fire missiles at Israel and attack US targets and bases in several countries in the region.
Iran also announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to navigation, causing widespread disruption to global energy and trade flows.
On June 18, Washington and Tehran reached a memorandum of understanding to end military operations, including guarantees for the passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz and the launch of negotiations to reach a final agreement within 60 days.
However, the understanding later faltered, and confrontations resumed in July, with the US renewing strikes on targets inside Iran and reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
