Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed his country will not yield to pressure from the United States as tensions escalate over Tehran’s nuclear program. The firm stance comes after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he is considering limited military strikes to compel a deal.
Pezeshkian’s comments, made Saturday, coincided with a growing U.S. Military presence in the Gulf, including the deployment of two aircraft carriers and dozens of fighter jets, as reported by Al Jazeera.
“We will not bow down in the face of any of these difficulties,” Pezeshkian declared at a ceremony honoring Iranian Paralympians. “World powers are lining up with cowardice to force us to bow our heads. Just as you did not bow down in the face of difficulties, we will not bow down in the face of these problems,” he added.
Indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. Regarding Tehran’s nuclear program resumed earlier this month in Oman, with a second round held in Switzerland last week. While both Washington and Tehran described the discussions as generally positive, a breakthrough remains elusive.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Friday that a diplomatic resolution appeared “within our reach,” and that Iran intends to finalize a draft agreement within “the next two to three days” for submission to Washington.
Crossroads
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, described the current situation as a “crossroads” for both nations, noting that Iranian citizens are closely monitoring developments for signs of diplomatic progress.
“How can anyone not worry about war?” one Tehran resident told Al Jazeera. “Even if we don’t worry about ourselves, we worry about our children’s future.”
A local businessman expressed skepticism about the prospects for a peaceful resolution, suggesting that military confrontation is ultimately inevitable. “What the Americans want is surrender, and the Iranian state won’t accept that,” he said. “If that happens, conditions will become even harder – business is already slow.”
However, another Iranian citizen offered a more optimistic outlook. “The US knows it can’t overpower Iran,” he asserted. “The US hasn’t truly won a war in any country, say Afghanistan, Iraq or Vietnam. It will bow to Iran. People shouldn’t worry.”
Previous nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S. Faltered last year following attacks on Iran by Israel, which triggered a 12-day conflict. The U.S. Subsequently bombed three Iranian nuclear sites located in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Trump renewed threats of military action in January following a crackdown on antigovernment protesters in Iran. Tehran responded by threatening strikes against U.S. Military bases in the region and warning of potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for Gulf Arab states’ oil exports.
Greatest Air Power Since 2003
U.S. Media reports indicate that the current level of U.S. Airpower amassed in the region is the highest it has been since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In recent days, Washington has deployed over 120 aircraft to the Middle East, with the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, en route to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group already stationed in the Arabian Sea.
Iran emphasized in a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Friday that the military build-up “must not be treated as mere rhetoric.” While stating that Iran does not seek “tension or war and will not initiate a war,” the letter warned that any U.S. Aggression would be met with a “decisive and proportionate” response.
The letter followed Trump’s claim on Thursday, during his inaugural Board of Peace meeting, that “bad things will happen” without a “meaningful deal.” Later that day, aboard Air Force One, Trump clarified his remarks, stating Iran had “10, 15 days, pretty much, maximum.” He later told reporters that Iran “better negotiate a fair deal.”
Concerns about a potential regional conflict have prompted several countries, including Sweden, Serbia, Poland, and Australia, to advise their citizens in Iran to depart.
