TEHRAN: Iran’s president on Saturday declared that his country is in a full‑scale or “all‑out war” with the United States, Israel and Europe, intensifying rhetoric ahead of key diplomatic talks in Washington. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is besieged politically, economically and culturally by Western powers and accused them of trying to undermine the Islamic Republic’s stability.
Pezeshkian, in an interview published on the official website of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, compared the confrontation to and said it is more complex and difficult than the 1980s Iran‑Iraq War. “They don’t want our country to stand on its feet,” he said, framing sanctions, strikes and diplomatic isolation as part of a broader campaign against Iran.
The comments come just days before **Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida, where Iran’s nuclear program and regional influence are expected to top the agenda. Tehran has rejected Western demands to curb uranium enrichment, arguing such restrictions violate its sovereign rights.
Pezeshkian warned that Iran’s military is now stronger in both manpower and equipment than before recent conflicts, and he cautioned that any fresh attacks by Washington or Jerusalem would be met with a “more decisive response.” Western nations, including France, Britain and Germany, have reinstated United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear activities, adding to Tehran’s economic strains.
Recent tensions follow a 12‑day summer conflict involving Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, which Iran says killed more than 1,000 people, and retaliatory Iranian missile barrages that killed dozens in Israel. Diplomatic efforts to revive nuclear negotiations remain stalled amid deep mistrust.
