‘We will not bow to pressure or coercion’: President Pezeshkian

President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that Iran would not bow under external pressure or internal hardship, vowing steadfastness “to the very last drop of our blood” as tensions persist with the United States.

Speaking during a ceremony on Saturday, Pezeshkian pointed to the difficult conditions facing the country and underscored the government’s determination to overcome them.

“We will strive for Iran to the very last drop of our blood. Despite all the shortages, problems, pressures, and injustices, the government, by God’s grace and relying on the unity and cohesion of society, will endeavor to overcome these hardships and will not allow any obstacle to remain in the path of the nation’s dignity,” he stated.

The president continued, “We will not bow in surrender to difficulties. Despite all the troubles and pressures, even if certain powers stand against the Iranian nation with unfair conduct, our resolve to stand firm and advance will not weaken.”

Pezeshkian added, “Even if the world and powerful states stand against us to force us to bow before them, they should know that we will not bow to these difficulties. Despite all the troubles and problems they have created for us, and despite the wounds inflicted upon society, we must heal these wounds.”

The president’s remarks came amid significant American military buildup around Iran that has followed deadly US- and Israeli-backed riots across the country in January that cost the lives of thousands.

Addressing the American military posturing on Thursday, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s envoy to the United Nations, said the Islamic Republic would not initiate war, but would respond firmly to any act of aggression.

“In the event that it (the Islamic Republic) is subjected to military aggression, Iran will respond decisively and proportionately in the exercise of its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations,” the ambassador said in a letter addressed to the UN secretary-general and the president of the Security Council.

Earlier this week, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei also issued a strong warning against any fresh American military adventurism targeting the Islamic Republic, noting, “The American president [Donald Trump] repeatedly says that their military is the strongest in the world.” “The strongest military in the world, however, can sometimes be struck so hard that it cannot even get back on its feet,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

“They keep saying, ‘We have sent an aircraft carrier toward Iran.’ Fine—an aircraft carrier is certainly a dangerous piece of equipment. But more dangerous than the carrier is the weapon capable of sending it to the bottom of the sea,” the Leader noted.

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