Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has described the pressure facing Tehran from sanctions and military conflict as the most difficult period the country has experienced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Speaking to state media on Wednesday, marking the second anniversary of his inauguration, Pezeshkian said international sanctions had steadily intensified before being followed by a military confrontation.
“The circumstances we face now are the most difficult possible in history since the revolution,” Pezeshkian said, according to CNN. He argued that sanctions had expanded from broader economic restrictions to measures targeting Iran’s banking and financial operations before, in his words, escalating into war.
“Still not satisfied, they tried to corner us,” he added.
Pezeshkian’s comments come as efforts to revive diplomatic engagement between Tehran and Washington continue amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.
The Iranian president also accused external powers of seeking to weaken public support for his government by increasing economic and political pressure.
“All the plans they are making and the pressures they are imposing are aimed at making the people dissatisfied and, as they say, provoking them to protest,” he said.
Despite the mounting pressure, Pezeshkian argued that national unity had enabled Iran to withstand the challenges.
His remarks reflect the severe economic and political pressures facing Iran as Tehran navigates sanctions, regional tensions and renewed diplomatic efforts with Washington.
