46 sec ago
In letter to Americans, Iran’s president asks if the war is in their interest
BY
TOQA EZZIDIN
“Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war? Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior?” President Masoud Pezeshkian said in the letter that he posted in English on his X account on Wednesday.
He said that, in its modern history, Iran never chose aggression “despite possessing military superiority over many of its neighbors.”
Further, the Iranian president signaled that the U.S. has entered the war as a proxy for Israel, and insisted that what Iran continues to do in its attacks against neighboring countries is a “measured response grounded in legitimate self-defense”.
“Is ‘America First’ truly among the priorities of the U.S government today?” he asked.
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s president wants a ceasefire ahead of his speech. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says Trump’s remarks were “false and baseless.”
apnews.com
1h ago
Iran's president rejects perception of Iran as a threat, in open letter addressed to American people
Iran’s president
Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected portrayals of
Iran as a security threat, and described the perception of it as such as a product of the “political and economic whims of the powerful”.
In an open letter addressed to the people of the United States and carried by state media outlet Press TV, he argued that Iran’s modern record is defensive as he urged Americans to “look beyond political rhetoric” and reconsider their view of his country.
Iran, by this very name, character, and identity – is one of the oldest continuous civilisations in human history. Iran has never, in its modern history, chosen the path of aggression, expansion, colonialism, or domination .… Iran has never initiated a war. Yet it has resolutely and bravely repelled those who have attacked it.
He went on:
Portraying Iran as a threat is neither consistent with historical reality nor with present-day observable facts. Such a perception is the product of political and economic whims of the powerful, the need to manufacture an enemy in order to justify pressure, maintain military dominance, sustain the arms industry, and control strategic markets.
Trump claimed Iran’s ‘new president’ requested a ceasefire – but Iran’s president remains Pezeshkian, the same person it was before the war
www.theguardian.com
Iranian president writes letter to Americans - and makes no mention of ceasefire
IMAGE SOURCE, WANA/REUTERS
In a letter addressed to the "people of the United States of America", Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Iran "never initiated a war" despite what he describes as "enduring occupation and invasion".
The letter's publication comes hours after US President Trump claimed "Iran's New Regime President" - without clarifying who he was referring to - had asked the US for a ceasefire.
In the social media post, Trump said the US would consider a ceasefire "when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!"
Pezeshkian makes no mention of a potential ceasefire in his letter.
The Iranian people have no ill will towards the people of America, Europe, or neighbouring countries, he writes, concluding that the choice between "confrontation and engagement" will "shape the future for generations to come".
Local officials say eight people were killed by the strike on the under-construction bridge in Karaj, a city west of Iran's capital Tehran.
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