RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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TEHRAN- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that Iran’s resilience and national unity had defied expectations that the country would collapse under sustained military, economic and political pressure, arguing that Tehran had emerged stronger despite a 'full-scale economic, military and security war.'
Speaking at a ceremony at the mausoleum of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, marking the beginning of Government Week, Pezeshkian said Iran’s adversaries had expected intense pressure to weaken the country and fracture its society.
“The enemies imagined that with their pressure and actions Iran would collapse. Not only did this not happen, but the power and unity of the Iranian nation amazed the world,” he said.
Pezeshkian said the government had faced an exceptionally difficult period since taking office, citing war, sanctions, political and economic pressure and assassinations, alongside persistent domestic challenges involving water, electricity, gas, fuel, the environment and the banking system.
He said the scale of the pressure had made Iran’s ability to maintain social cohesion particularly significant.
“Our dear people truly performed a miracle,” Pezeshkian said, adding that analysts had struggled to explain how the Iranian nation had managed to withstand such sustained pressure.
Pezeshkian described the confrontation with Iran as extending well beyond the battlefield, saying economic restrictions and efforts to isolate Tehran internationally were central elements of an 'economic war.'
He pointed to recent US threats of imposing the “most horrific sanctions” on Iran, arguing that such measures had failed to break the country’s resolve. He also accused Iran’s adversaries of seeking to persuade Muslim governments to limit economic dealings with Tehran to force Iran into submission.
The president called for the same spirit of solidarity that he said prevailed during Iran’s 1980–88 war with Iraq, urging citizens and institutions to support one another and coordinate their efforts.
He also stressed the importance of preventing political and social divisions from deepening under economic pressure. Pezeshkian said Iran’s strength depended on national solidarity, consultation, expertise and coordinated decision-making, arguing that once decisions were reached through proper deliberation, institutions and political groups should support their implementation.
He pledged that his government would continue working to ease inflation, improve livelihoods and address domestic economic problems despite external pressure.
Pezeshkian also defended the memorandum of understanding reached through Pakistan-brokered diplomacy, describing it as a product of extensive consultations among military, security and government officials.
He said the agreement reflected a “technical consensus” among those responsible for defending the country, safeguarding national security and implementing policy decisions, and was based on the principles of “expediency, dignity and wisdom.”
In separate remarks on Saturday, Pezeshkian described the Islamabad MoU as a dignified agreement containing no concession or provision amounting to capitulation.
“Not even a single clause can be found in it that indicates capitulation, and all the commitments concern the other side,” he said.
He argued that Iran could not remain indefinitely in a state of “neither war nor peace” and that a diplomatic framework was necessary to move the country beyond prolonged uncertainty while preserving its national interests and strength.
Pezeshkian also linked political stability to economic recovery, saying investment could not flourish in conditions of war or persistent uncertainty. “Capital and money are the most delicate non-human beings that flee from any danger,” he said.
Despite acknowledging the country’s continuing economic and social difficulties, Pezeshkian said his administration would continue serving the public and working to improve living conditions.
He thanked the armed forces and the Iranian people for their resilience, including citizens who had grievances with the government but, he said, maintained their solidarity when the country faced external threats.
“We are ashamed before the people that problems exist,” Pezeshkian said, pledging that the government would continue working “as long as we have breath in our bodies” to improve people’s welfare and steer Iran through the current crises.
His remarks presented national cohesion and resistance to external pressure as central pillars of Tehran’s strategy, while his defense of the Islamabad MoU signaled an effort to combine continued resistance with diplomacy aimed at reducing the risks of prolonged confrontation.
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