TEHRAN – In an address delivered Wednesday in Bushehr, southern Iran, President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to peaceful relations while defiantly rejecting foreign coercion.

“We seek conflict with no nation,” he declared, stressing Tehran’s pursuit of “fraternal ties with all neighbors,” whom he called “brothers, sisters, and partners in the region.”

Pezeshkian’s remarks included a sharp condemnation of U.S. policies, particularly targeting President Donald Trump’s provocative characterization of Iran and accusations of regional destabilization.

“It is the U.S. that sows chaos by arming Israel to massacre Palestinians in Gaza,” he asserted, denouncing Washington’s decades-long military support for the Tel Aviv regime.

The president also criticized U.S. demands for Iran to limit its defense capabilities.

“They demand we abandon our missiles so Israel can bomb us without consequence, just as it devastated Gaza,” he argued, adding such pressure is a threat to Iran’s sovereignty.

Pezeshkian further lambasted Washington’s contradictory stance on diplomacy.

He pointed out that the U.S. has “shut every door to talks” through punitive sanctions intended to “strangle Iran’s resilience.”

The president questioned the sincerity of U.S. overtures: “If America truly wants negotiations, why does it sabotage every opportunity for peace?”

“By what right do they occupy our region, assassinate our people, and then preach to us about security?” Pezeshkian added, condemning Washington’s “hypocritical” portrayal of Iran as a menace.  

The speech followed Trump’s recent signing of a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) reinstating the “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, which seeks to intensify economic sanctions and halt Iran’s oil exports.

Trump accompanied the move with a warning that any retaliation or threat against him would result in Iran being “obliterated.”  

A few days later, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei rejected negotiations with the U.S., calling such talks “neither prudent, wise, nor honorable” given Trump’s confrontational approach and Iran’s past experiences.

He also highlighted Washington’s history of reneging on agreements, notably its 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear deal, which exacerbated regional tensions.

“Our strength lies not in submission, but in dignity and self-reliance,” Pezeshkian remarked.