Pezeshkian hits back at Trump: US can only dream of Iran’s surrender

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
Today 11:28
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hits back at Trump, highlighting US arms sales in the Middle East and Iran’s resilience amid pressure.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivers a speech after taking his oath in a ceremony at the Parliament in Tehran, Iran, July 30, 2024. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a fiery response on Wednesday to US President Donald Trump’s speech in Riyadh, in which Trump accused Iran’s leaders of mismanagement and destabilizing the Middle East.

Speaking in Kermanshah, western Iran, Pezeshkian rejected Trump’s allegations and turned the blame on Washington and its allies.

"Did we kill 60,000 women and children in Gaza within a year, under bombs and missiles?" he asked, adding, "Did we cut off water, bread, and medicine from those poor people? Are we the threat?"

Pezeshkian also highlighted US arms sales, saying, “When they boast of having missiles and bombs beyond imagination, is it us who are causing war and bloodshed, or is it them, who flood this region with weapons and ammunition?”

He further criticized the US for fueling regional conflict, “You want the countries of this region to turn on each other by handing out bombs and missiles, and then you say you are peace-seekers?”

Pezeshkian also reminded Trump that he ordered the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020, stating, “Soleimani was the man who stood against ISIS, the same ISIS you trained, supported, and nurtured. And now you claim you defeated them?”

He affirmed that Iran remains steadfast, warning that “If they martyr our great figures, hundreds more will rise from this land to build this nation.”

Iran’s domestic resilience under pressure

Responding to Trump’s comments on Iran’s internal struggles, Pezeshkian accused the US president of attempting to sow division among Iranians. “He can only dream of that. All Iranians will stand up for their country with all their might.”

He highlighted Iran’s endurance over four decades of pressure, saying, “For 47 years, they’ve used all their power to try to bring this system and this people to their knees, and they couldn’t. And they won’t be able to.”

“The kind of pressure they’ve put on Iran, if it had been put on any other country, it wouldn’t have lasted 24 hours.”

Iran has faced mounting pressures internally as a result of economic burdens that stem from years of sanctions imposed on the country, as a direct result of its support for Resistance groups across the Middle East.

Pezeshkian also criticized Trump's proposal to unilaterally change the name of the Persian Gulf to the "Gulf of Arabia" earlier last week, a move seen as deeply offensive by Iranians, who regard the issue as part of their national identity.