In an interview broadcast Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would continue resisting U.S. military strikes and other pressure directed at Iran.
Pezeshkian also rejected the suggestion that Iran’s decisions were being shaped by the timing of U.S. elections.
Partial transcript follows:
BAIER: In March, you warned that Iran’s economy could collapse within three weeks to a month without a cease-fire. That was six months ago. Since then, your own statistics agency has reported a 10% contraction, inflation has surged, the rial has lost more than half its value over the past year, and daily oil loadings have dropped from roughly 2 million barrels to about 250,000.
Given those conditions, how much longer can Iran hold out?
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): These circumstances were created by the United States. We will continue to resist, find solutions and keep our country moving forward. We will endure. President Trump repeatedly said he wanted to bring the Iranian people a gift, but what arrived instead were guided missiles, heavy weapons and destruction. Their real objective, in our view, is to create unrest inside Iran and clear a path toward the collapse of the government and the social order.
BAIER: Were you mistaken about the timeline you gave in March, or is Iran’s economy now collapsing?
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): We will resist until the end. We certainly face serious economic problems, but we are prepared to endure whatever hardship is necessary to survive. If the United States believes continued sanctions will force us to surrender, it is mistaken.
BAIER: How much do your decisions—
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): —depend on whether we will give in—
BAIER: —on the—
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): —that is something they can continue dreaming about.
BAIER: —U.S. midterm elections?
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): We do not base our decisions on American elections, nor do we concern ourselves with them. If the U.S. government wants to negotiate an agreement within the bounds of international law, that is acceptable. If it does not, it makes no difference to us whether that happens before or after the elections.
BAIER: Do you believe the war could end before the year is over?
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): We do not want war, but we will firmly defend ourselves. Iran never pursued conflict and does not seek it now. I believe deeply that no human being should cause the death of another. When disputes can be settled through dialogue, people should not turn to violence. However, Israel’s actions and provocations have imposed this war on us. We do not want it to continue. The decision to end it rests with the United States.
Follow Jeff Poor on X @jeff_poor
