By Staff, Agencies

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian firmly rejected his American counterpart’s recent accusations and threats against Iran, asserting that the Islamic Republic would not be intimidated by external threats and remained resolute in its pursuit of national development and regional peace.

During a speech in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, the chief executive addressed Trump's remarks made during his earlier trip to Saudi Arabia, which labeled Iran as a source of regional instability.

Pezeshkian questioned the credibility of such accusations, highlighting, among other things, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been brought about by unending "Israeli" aggression that has been enabled by the United States to a considerably large extent.

"How do they accuse us of being the source of insecurity, while they killed 60,000 women and children in Gaza under bombardment and withheld water and medicine from these defenseless people? Who, really, is the source of the threat?" he asked.

He was referring to the sheer extent of the fatalities and other appalling outcomes of an October 2023-present "Israeli" war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.

In line with his accusations, Trump had tried to characterize Iran as the "most destructive force" in the West Asia region.

He had also said that the United States would not allow the Islamic Republic to develop a “nuclear weapon,” rebuffing Tehran’s total rejection of such non-conventional arms. 

Trump had, meanwhile, threatened to deploy "massive maximum pressure" against the Islamic Republic.

Pezeshkian, however, emphasized that Iran stood for peace and human dignity, contrasting its position with the actions of those who supplied weapons to the region while claiming to seek peace.

The Iranian president, meanwhile, underscored the importance of unity and self-reliance in the face of external pressures.

He acknowledged the resilience of the Iranian people over the past decades, stating, "For 47 years, they [the country’s adversaries] have been trying with all their might to bring this establishment and these people to their knees, but they have failed, and they will continue to fail."

Highlighting the role of intellectuals and youths in nation-building efforts, he called for leveraging the country's internal strengths to overcome challenges and achieve further progress.