Iran will never bow to threats, pressure, Pezeshkian tells Trump

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 15 May 2025 10:52 AM

President Masoud Pezeshkian says Iran will never bow to threats and pressure, rebuking US President Donald Trump, who has accused Tehran of being a destabilizing force in the region

Speaking at a meeting with economic actors and investors in the western province of Kermanshah on Thursday, Pezeshkian criticized the United States for pursuing double-standard policies toward Iran.

“Trump thinks that he can sanction us, threaten us, and then sit back and talk about human rights … All the crimes in the region are because of these policies and these individuals,” he said.

“We seek peace, not war. We have always been seeking to live in peace and [based on] mutual respect, both when it comes to internal issues and also in relations with our neighbors.”

During his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Trump labeled Iran as the “most destructive force” in the West Asia region. He accused Iran of fueling regional instability and said the United States would not allow the country to develop a “nuclear weapon,” rebuffing Tehran’s total rejection of such non-conventional arms.

Trump, meanwhile, threatened to deploy “massive maximum pressure” against the Islamic Republic.

Pointing to the Israeli regime’s crimes in the Gaza Strip, Pezeshkian said those who massacred 60,000 people in Gaza, buried them under rubble, and deprived the defenseless people of water, medicine, and food now falsely claim to advocate for human rights.

They commit genocide before the eyes of the world and brazenly speak of peace and tranquility, the Iranian president emphasized.

He asked, “How can one believe that someone who overtly produces bombs, missiles, and weapons, and takes pride in it, can claim to promote security and peace? By what logic do they say that we are a threat while they themselves manufacture weapons for the mass killing of human beings?”

Pezeshkian emphasized that world powers are encouraging wars by selling weapons and missiles to the region, saying, “If there is no war, there will be no market for them. They need to create tension in order to sell their military equipment.”

He emphasized Iran’s cordial relations with regional countries and noted that there is no reason for engaging in any conflict that would serve the interest of outsiders.

The Iranian president added that the development of trade among the Muslim countries would lead to the establishment of a huge market.

“We can also create security and peace in this region. This region belongs to us, not to others,” Pezeshkian pointed out.

He warned against enemies’ plots to sow discord among the countries in the region, adding that Iran aims to boost interaction and peaceful coexistence with them.

“The establishment of peace in the region is the goal of the Islamic Republic, and even if some seek instability, we have chosen a different path,” Pezeshkian emphasized.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry also firmly rejected the pejorative remarks that had been made by the US president against the country, calling them “false, divisive, and misleading.”

The ministry condemned Trump’s accusations as an attempt to distort the realities of the region and shift blame onto Tehran.