Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian – who is technically subordinate to “supreme leader” Mojtaba Khamenei – published a letter on Wednesday evening directly addressing the American people, a move apparently intended to portray himself as the most authoritative leader in the country at the moment.
The content of the letter regurgitated years of Iranian regime talking points: denying that Iran posed a threat to any nation before the current conflict, blaming the government of Israel for all turmoil in the Middle East, and falsely claiming his terror regime had graced the Iranian people with an improved lifestyle. Beyond the text, however, the message is notable as Khamenei has not been seen in public since Iranian state media announced that he had been chosen to succeed his father, longtime dictator Ali Khamenei, as “supreme leader.” As a result, rumors have circulated globally that the younger Khamenei is severely incapacitated or potentially dead. Pezeshkian, meanwhile, walked the streets of Tehran on Tuesday, shaking hands and taking selfies with regime sympathizers.
In his letter to the American people, meant to preempt a primetime speech by President Donald Trump, Pezeshkian encouraged American to ignore an alleged “flood of distortions and manufactured narratives” being used to justify targeting Iranian leaders.
“Iran has never, in its modern history, chosen the path of aggression, expansion, colonialism, or domination,” Pezeshkian falsely claimed, disregarding the Iranian regime’s military and terrorist adventurism in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and other neighboring states. “Even after enduring occupation, invasion, and sustained pressure from global powers – and despite possessing military superiority over many of its neighbors – Iran has never initiated a war.”
“Portraying Iran as a threat is neither consistent with historical reality,” he reiterated, claiming that those recognizing that Iran was moving towards illicit nuclear development and funding terrorist groups around the world were serving “the need to manufacture an enemy in order to justify pressure, maintain military dominance, sustain the arms industry, and control strategic markets.”
Pezeshkian also cited the failed 2015 nuclear deal signed with President Barack Obama, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as a sign that “Iran pursued negotiations, reached an agreement, and fulfilled all its commitments.” No evidence supports the claim that Iran fulfilled its commitments; the United Nations verified that Iran had violated international law with a resolution in June.
The Iranian president went on to blame Israel for all concerns about Iran’s illegitimate militarism.
“America has entered this aggression as a proxy for Israel, influenced and manipulated by that regime … Israel now aims to fight Iran to the last American soldier and the last American taxpayer dollar,” he claimed. He further defended Iran’s indiscriminate launching of missiles and drones at its neighbors – countries entirely unrelated to the dispute with Israel such as Azerbaijan and Cyprus – as a “measured response grounded in legitimate self-defense.”
“I invite you to look beyond the machinery of misinformation,” he urged.
The letter was largely obscured in American media coverage by President Donald Trump’s speech on Wednesday explaining why “Operation Epic Fury,” the military engagement to disable the Iranian regime’s ability to pose a threat to its neighbors, was necessary. Trump used the occasion to repeat many points he has published on his social media site, Truth Social, throughout the past two weeks, including that the conflict is essentially over and regime change has already occurred in Iran.
Contrary to Pezeshkian’s letter, Iran under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was the world’s most formidable state sponsor of terrorism, funneling millions of dollars a year to jihadist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis of Yemen. Iran played a protagonist role in prolonging the Syrian Civil War, which lasted over a decade, by supporting now-deposed dictator Bashar Assad.
Outside of the Middle East, the government of Ukraine has presented evidence for over a year that Iran has aided Russia’s efforts to invade and colonize that country with its drone technology. In Argentina, government prosecutors have traced two of the deadliest terrorist attacks in its history – including the 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) the deadliest attack in the Western Hemisphere prior to September 11, 2001 – to Iran.
Pezeshkian’s letter and public appearance this week appear to be, in addition to a direct appeal to the public, an attempt to undermine the messaging from other wings of the Iranian regime. As a result of “Operation Epic Freedom” and collaborating Israeli operations, dozens of senior Iranian leaders have been eliminated, leaving unclear who possesses the most authority in the regime. In this vacuum, the Iranian military has made efforts to become the loudest voice, threatening the destruction of America and Israel. Contrary to the conciliatory tone that Pezeshkian used in his letter, military command center Khatam Al-Anbiya issued a statement media declaration threatening “more crushing, broader, and more destructive actions” against America and Israel.
“With trust in Almighty God, this war will continue until your humiliation, disgrace, permanent and certain regret, and surrender,” the statement read.
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