Iranian president: US acting as Israel’s ‘proxy force’ – defends regime in message to Americans

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a message to the American public on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic has not initiated wars in its modern history and does not harbor hostility toward the United States. He portrayed Iran as a victim of “occupation, aggression, and pressures imposed by global powers,” saying it has acted only in response to “aggressors,” and argued that the current conflict is not in America’s interest.

“Does the massacre of innocent children, the destruction of cancer pharmaceutical centers, or the exaggeration of bombing a nation back to the Stone Age have any benefit other than further damaging America's global image?”, Pezeshkian said in his address.

While the U.S. and Israeli strikes have primarily targeted military assets in Iran, regime forces have launched attacks toward civilian areas in Israel and parts of the Gulf nations. In addition, there were reports of a deadly crackdown on protesters in Iran earlier this year, during which casualty estimates varied widely, with some independent sources suggesting that as many as 30,000 were killed.

During his address, Pezeshkian said relations between Tehran and Washington were peaceful until 1953, when the U.S. “halted the process of democracy, restored dictatorship, and created distrust in the minds of Iranians towards U.S. policies.”

He urged the American public to ignore the "media propaganda" against the Islamic Republic, repeating previous statements from regime leaders that the U.S. has been manipulated by Israel into acting as a "proxy force" in the conflict, and that the war was initiated because Israel “decided to fight Iran to the last American soldier.”

“Is 'America First' truly on the list of priorities of the U.S. government today?” Pezeshkian said. However, the Iranian leadership has for decades used slogans such as “Death to America,” reflecting longstanding hostility toward the U.S. Iran and its regional proxies have also been linked to attacks that have killed and wounded American personnel in countries including Iraq and Lebanon. In addition, Iranian actors have reportedly been involved in plots targeting former President Donald Trump and other senior American officials.

Pezeshkian said the Islamic Republic opposes aggression and occupation, however, regime officials have consistently called for Israel's elimination, supporting allied armed groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, along with Houthis and militias in Iraq and Syria.

"Iran will weather the conflict, and the US must choose between confrontation and engagement," the Iranian president added.

"Iran has faced many aggressors throughout its thousands of years of glorious history. All that is left of them is their shameful name in history, and Iran still stands proud,” Pezeshkian said in conclusion.

However, developments on the ground in Iran suggest a more complex situation. U.S. and Israeli strikes have killed senior military and political figures, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, significantly disrupting the country’s leadership structure. While Iranian institutions have moved to establish interim and successor leadership, analysts say the situation has created uncertainty over the balance of power in Tehran.

Earlier this week, Pezeshkian attended a rally in Tehran alongside the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The purpose of their public presence was to boost the declining morale among the regime’s supporters amid massive U.S. and Israeli aerial strikes across Iran.

“I came to get a boost of morale,” Araghchi told media representatives at the rally. “Seeing these people really gives everyone a huge boost of morale,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Iranian president spoke with the European Council President António Costa about the ongoing war.

"We possess the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression," Pezeshkian said.