Iranian President Pezeshkian issued the warning just days before Netanyahu is due to meet Trump during a visit to the United States. Iran’s nuclear programme, regional influence and recent military exchanges are expected to be key topics in those talks.
As pressure mounts on Tehran ahead of fresh negotiations on its nuclear enrichment, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his country is in “total war” with the United States, Israel and Europe, describing the current confrontation as more complex and dangerous than the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.
Pezeshkian’s remarks, published on Saturday on the website of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, come ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned meeting with US President Donald Trump, where Iran is expected to feature prominently on the agenda.
Earlier this week, the US and Iran openly sparred at the United Nations Security Council over the terms for reviving stalled nuclear negotiations. Washington has made it clear that it remains open to direct talks, while Tehran has rejected US demands as unfair and unlawful.
TOTAL WAR CLAIM
“In my opinion, we are at total war with the United States, Israel and Europe…. They don’t want our country to remain stable… They want to bring our country to its knees,” Pezeshkian said in the interview.
The Iranian leader said the pressure now facing Tehran goes beyond conventional military confrontation.
“This war is worse than the one launched against us by Iraq. On closer inspection, it is far more complex and difficult,” he said, referring to the 1980–88 Iran-Iraq war, which left more than one million people dead on both sides.
The comments came after months of derailed diplomacy following a war between Iran and Israel that pulled the United States into the conflict.
WARNING AHEAD OF US-ISRAEL TALKS
Pezeshkian issued the warning just days before Netanyahu is due to meet Trump during a visit to the United States. Iran’s nuclear programme, regional influence and recent military exchanges are expected to be key topics in those talks.
Washington and its allies say Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran rejects, saying its programme is peaceful.
Tensions have further intensified since France, Britain and Germany backed the reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran in September, citing concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme. The sanctions followed a snapback mechanism linked to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran maintains that it remains committed to peaceful nuclear development and says Western powers are using sanctions as a tool of political and economic pressure.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, first introduced during his previous term. That strategy includes tighter economic sanctions aimed at restricting Iran’s oil exports and cutting off key sources of revenue.
RECENT MILITARY ESCALATION
Earlier this year, long-standing rivals Israel and Iran were drawn into a direct confrontation during a 12-day conflict in June. The fighting was triggered by an unprecedented Israeli strike on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, as well as civilian areas, according to Iranian authorities.
Iran said the attacks resulted in more than 1,000 casualties. In response, Iranian missile barrages killed 28 people in Israel.
The US later joined the operation, carrying out air strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.
