Pezeshkian says 'Iran will not kneel'
TEHRAN – Iran will not bow to Western pressure and is prepared to defend itself against any threat, President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on Monday, signalling a hardening stance as the nation strengthens its military capabilities and regional alliances in response to renewed Western pressure and security threats.
Speaking at a ceremony honoring firefighters, Pezeshkian delivered his strongest public remarks since taking office, accusing Western powers of hypocrisy and vowing that Iran would never accept humiliation. “They want to sanction us because we refuse to bow our heads,” he said. “The dream of bringing Iran to its knees is nothing but an illusion.”
Pezeshkian entered office in 2024 promising his voters that he would try to mend ties with the West, which have been unprecedentedly contentious in recent years over the dismantlement of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (the JCPOA). But Western states have increasingly made it difficult for the Iranian President to trust them, after the U.S. attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations back in June, and the E3 (Germany, Britain, and France) began a process that brought back pre-JCPOA UN sanctions against Tehran this week.
While Europe and the U.S. now express a desire to negotiate with Iran, Tehran insists the West has squandered every chance for a diplomatic solution over the past year. Russia and China—the other two signatories to the 2015 deal—share this view. They argue that the current deadlock began with Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and was exacerbated by the June war and Europe’s unconstructive alignment with the U.S. and Israel.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Pezeshkian recalled that adversaries never expected Iranians to unite during the twelve days of the U.S.-Israel aggression in June. “They assumed Iran had weakened, but the people’s steadfastness upset all their calculations.”
He criticized the American and European politicians who speak of human rights and democracy, adding, “Take a look at what they’re doing in Gaza. A regime that has sown chaos in the region has not once been sanctioned in the Security Council because the United States erases decisions with a veto.”
The notion of human rights, the United Nations and UNESCO are nothing but lies, the president said, “because innocents are being killed before their eyes and Israel attacks any country it wishes.”
Prior to Pezeshkian’s Monday remarks, The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, unequivocally stated that negotiations with the United States are a “dead end” and would only bring harm to the nation.
“The Americans have shown they cannot be trusted,” Ayatollah Khamenei told the Iranian nation in a live video address. “Our experience has proven that relying on our own capabilities and strengthening regional cooperation is the only way to guarantee our security.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s military establishment is publicly emphasizing its readiness to fend off new potential waves of aggression. Senior commanders have pointed to ongoing modernization efforts and exchanges with regional countries.
Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, senior military adviser to the Leader, recently expressed interest in the new defense pact between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, suggesting Iran might consider joining such regional security arrangements. “We should declare readiness as a regional power,” Safavi said in a television interview. “This falls under our military diplomacy to take an active role in regional defense treaties.”
In separate remarks, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian military, praised what he called the “decisive achievements” of Iran’s forces during the 2025 conflict, and said the Army and Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) have significantly improved their coordination.
A member if Iran’s Air Defence Force also told the Tehran Times last week that the country has rapidly “addressed its weaknesses and consolidated its strengths” since the war halted on June 25.