'Will Not Respond': Iran’s Pezeshkian Rejects US Pressure, Praises Russia, China

In the letter, Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the US and Europe for inflicting 'hundreds of billions of dollars in damage' to Iran’s economy.

Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the US and Europe for inflicting 'hundreds of billions of dollars in damage' to Iran’s economy.

Source : X/@drpezeshkian

As he prepares to take office, Iran President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected the US pressure and praised Tehran's friendship with China and Russia in a message outlining his foreign policy positions. Pezeshkian also reiterated that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons, adding that Tehran would expand ties with neighbours and engage with Europe. 

In a statement titled “My message to the New World” published in the daily Tehran Times, Pezeshkian came down hard on the West over sanctions.

“China and Russia have consistently stood by us during challenging times,” Pezeshkian wrote in his piece titled A Message to the New World. “We look forward to collaborating more extensively with Beijing as we advance towards a new global order… and my administration will remain committed to expanding and enhancing our cooperation [with Russia].”

"I wish to emphasize that Iran’s defense doctrine does not include nuclear weapons and urge the United States to learn from past miscalculations and adjust its policy accordingly," Pezeshkian said in the statement.

He blamed the United States and Europe for inflicting “hundreds of billions of dollars in damage” to Iran’s economy, and “untold suffering, death, and destruction on the Iranian people,” mainly through sanctions.

“The United States also needs to recognize the reality and understand, once and for all, that Iran does not—and will not—respond to pressure. We entered the JCPOA in 2015 in good faith and fully met our obligations. But the United States unlawfully withdrew from the agreement motivated by purely domestic quarrels and vengeance, inflicting hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to our economy, and causing untold suffering, death and destruction on the Iranian people—particularly during the Covid pandemic—through the imposition of extraterritorial unilateral sanctions,” the statement read.

Pezeshkian said that Washington deliberately chose to escalate hostilities by waging not only an economic war against Iran but also engaging in state terrorism by assassinating General Qassem Soleimani.  

“The U.S. deliberately chose to escalate hostilities by waging not only an economic war against Iran but also engaging in state terrorism by assassinating General Qassem Soleimani, a global anti-terrorism hero known for his success in saving the people of our region from the scourge of ISIS and other ferocious terrorist groups. Today, the world is witnessing the harmful consequences of that choice,” it further stated.

In his letter, the Iranian president-elect also said that his country's relations with Europe have known their ups and downs, and after Washington withdrew from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) in May 2018, European countries made eleven commitments to Iran to try to salvage the agreement and mitigate the impact of the sanctions imposed by Washington on the economy.

In the letter, Pezeshkian said, “Iran’s relations with Europe have known its ups and downs. After the United States’ withdrawal from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) in May 2018, European countries made eleven commitments to Iran to try to salvage the agreement and mitigate the impact of the United States’ unlawful and unilateral sanctions on our economy. These commitments involved ensuring effective banking transactions, effective protection of companies from U.S. sanctions, and the promotion of investments in Iran.”

“European countries have reneged on all these commitments, yet unreasonably expect Iran to unilaterally fulfill all its obligations under the JCPOA,” the letter further stated.

Elaborating further on the United States, Pezeshkian asserted that the United States also needs to recognise the reality and understand, once and for all, that Iran will never respond to pressure.

“We entered the JCPOA in 2015 in good faith and fully met our obligations. But the United States unlawfully withdrew from the agreement motivated by purely domestic quarrels and vengeance, inflicting hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to our economy, and causing untold suffering, death and destruction on the Iranian people—particularly during the Covid pandemic—through the imposition of extraterritorial unilateral sanctions,” he said in the letter. 

“The U.S. deliberately chose to escalate hostilities by waging not only an economic war against Iran but also engaging in state terrorism by assassinating General Qassem Soleimani, a global anti-terrorism hero known for his success in saving the people of our region from the scourge of ISIS and other ferocious terrorist groups. Today, the world is witnessing the harmful consequences of that choice,” he added.