TEHRAN – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has labeled the ongoing Western pressure on Iran as an "economic war," stating that Iran's advanced military capabilities deter Washington and its allies from resorting to other forms of aggression.

Pezeshkian made the remarks during a Tehran speech on Monday. 

Referring to Western sanctions, Pezeshkian said that Iran is facing an all-out “economic war, not a war of bombs and missiles.”

He indicated that Iran has developed defensive projectiles, including missiles, to prevent entities such as the Israeli regime from targeting Iran in the same manner they have done with the Gaza Strip.

Pezeshkian praised the Palestinians in Gaza for their resilience in the face of Israeli atrocities over the past year, asserting, “Israel exhausted all efforts but could not compel Gazans to capitulate.”

The President criticized Israel and Western powers for their double standards, accusing them of perpetuating "genocide and atrocities" while simultaneously advocating for human rights and international law.

Since October 2023, Israel's military actions in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of more than 43,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children.

Israel’s deadly military campaign in Gaza is supported by Western powers, especially the United States, and also European countries like Britain and Germany. 

The United States and its European countries are being accused of complicity in the Gaza genocide, as they have been providing military, political, and diplomatic aid to the regime in the past year. No Israeli crime so far seems to have swayed Westerners in the untrammeled support of Zionism. 

Commenting on the West's provision of chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, the Iranian President asserted, “You cowards have unleashed chemical bombs on our people, killing women and children. Are you even human?”

Pezeshkian called out the hypocrisy of those accusing Iran of human rights violations, saying, “They criticize us for executing someone who has taken many lives, while they engage in genocide and kill children!” 

On October 28 after a lengthy trial, Iran's Judiciary executed Jamshid Sharmahd, the leader of a terrorist group responsible for many deadly attacks against the Iranian nation. 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized the execution of the terror ringleader as “inhumane” before ordering the closure of all Iranian consulates in Germany. She has meanwhile been voicing Berlin’s unwavering support for “Israel's security”. The top diplomat recently labeled Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians as “legitimate”.