Tehran’s rhetoric confirms Israel’s warnings as Western pressure confronts Islamist expansionism and nuclear brinkmanship.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian openly declared that Tehran is engaged in a state of “total war” with the United States, Israel, and Europe—laying bare the Islamic Republic’s long-standing confrontation with democratic nations and the Jewish state.
Speaking to the official website of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pezeshkian accused Washington, Jerusalem, and European capitals of attempting to bring Iran “to its knees.” His remarks, published by AFP, came six months after coordinated US and Israeli strikes targeted Iranian military assets—operations widely seen as defensive responses to Tehran’s escalating aggression.
France, Britain, and Germany recently backed the reimposition of UN sanctions, citing Iran’s continued violations tied to its nuclear program. Pezeshkian compared the current confrontation unfavorably to the 1980–88 Iran-Iraq War, admitting that today’s pressure campaign is more complex and damaging—an implicit acknowledgment of sanctions’ effectiveness.
Western governments and Israel maintain that Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons, despite Tehran’s denials. Since returning to office, US President Donald Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy, tightening economic sanctions and restricting Iran’s oil revenues—measures designed to curb the regime’s ability to fund terror proxies across the region.
The rhetoric follows reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to discuss Iran’s accelerating ballistic missile program with Trump. Israeli intelligence indicates Tehran is rapidly rebuilding missile capabilities damaged during the June conflict, with stockpiles and launch infrastructure recovering at alarming speed under the direction of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Israeli officials have also warned that recent IRGC missile exercises may be preparations for direct attacks—validating Israel’s insistence that deterrence, not appeasement, is the only language Tehran understands.
Pezeshkian’s declaration removes any remaining ambiguity: the Iranian regime sees itself at war with the West and Israel. Israel’s vigilance and readiness, long criticized by Arab-aligned voices, now appear not only justified—but essential.
