Iran escalates rhetoric against US, Israel and Europe

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian has accused the United States, Israel, and European countries of waging a “total war” against Iran, in comments published on Saturday, more than six months after Israeli-American strikes on Iranian territory.

“In my view, we are in a total war with the United States, Israel and Europe. They want to bring our country to its knees,” Pezeshkian said in an interview with the official website of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

The remarks come as France, United Kingdom, and Germany move to reinstate United Nations sanctions on Iran over concerns linked to its nuclear programme.

Such statements are widely seen as part of Tehran’s long-standing political rhetoric, regularly used by the Islamic Republic’s leadership to frame external pressure as an existential threat. Iranian officials have often portrayed diplomatic, economic and military tensions with Western powers as a unified campaign against the country.

At home, however, the ruling clerical establishment faces deep and persistent discontent. The regime of the mollahs is broadly unpopular among large segments of the Iranian population, worn down by economic hardship, international isolation and strict social controls. 

Protests in recent years have underscored the growing gap between official discourse and public sentiment, highlighting a society increasingly skeptical of the leadership’s confrontational narrative.