Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday published an open letter addressed directly to the American public, challenging the logic behind the current US-Israeli campaign against Tehran and urging US citizens to reconsider the motives driving Washington’s foreign policy.
In the wide-ranging message, Pezeshkian questioned long-held assumptions about Iran as a security threat, traced grievances in bilateral relations dating back decades and insisted that Iran’s recent military measures are based on self-defense and not aggression.
The letter comes as US President Donald Trump prepares to address the nation on the state of the conflict.
Here is the full text of his letter:
“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
“To the people of the United States of America and all those who, amid an avalanche of distortions and fabricated narratives, continue to seek the truth and aspire to a better life:
“Iran, by this very name, character and identity, is one of the oldest continuous civilizations in human history. Despite its historical and geographical advantages at different times, Iran has never, in its modern history, chosen the path of aggression, expansion, colonialism or domination. Even after enduring occupation, invasion and sustained pressure from global powers, and despite possessing military superiority over many of its neighbors, Iran has never started a war. However, it has repelled resolutely and bravely to those who have attacked him.
“The Iranian people harbor no enmity toward other nations, including the people of the United States, Europe, or neighboring countries. Even in the face of repeated foreign interventions and pressures throughout their proud history, Iranians have consistently drawn a clear distinction between governments and the people they govern. This is a principle deeply embedded in Iranian culture and collective consciousness, not a temporary political stance.
“For this reason, presenting Iran as a threat is not consistent with historical reality or with the facts observable today. Such a perception is the product of the political and economic whims of the powerful: the need to manufacture an enemy to justify pressure, maintain military dominance, sustain the arms industry and control strategic markets. In such an environment, if a threat does not exist, it is invented.
“Within this same framework, the United States has concentrated the greatest number of its forces, bases and military capabilities around Iran, a country that, at least since the founding of the United States, has never started a war. Recent American aggressions launched from these same bases have demonstrated how threatening such a military presence really is. Naturally, no country faced with such conditions would give up strengthening its defensive capabilities. What Iran has done – and continues to do – is a measured response based on self-defense, and in no way a start of war or aggression.
“Relations between Iran and the United States were not originally hostile, and early interactions between the Iranian and American peoples were not marred by hostility or tension. However, the turning point was the coup of 1953, an illegal American intervention intended to prevent the nationalization of Iran’s own resources. That coup disrupted Iran’s democratic process, reestablished the dictatorship, and sowed deep distrust among Iranians toward American policies. This distrust deepened even further. further with the United States’ support for the Shah’s regime, its support for Saddam Hussein during the war imposed in the 1980s, the imposition of the longest and most extensive sanctions in modern history and, ultimately, unprovoked military aggression (twice, in the middle of negotiations) against Iran.
“Yet all these pressures have failed to weaken Iran. On the contrary, the country has grown stronger in many areas: literacy rates have tripled, from about 30 percent before the Islamic Revolution to more than 90 percent today; higher education has expanded dramatically; significant advances have been made in modern technology; health services have improved; and infrastructure has developed at a pace and scale unmatched by the past. These are realities. measurable and observable that are independent of manufactured narratives.
“At the same time, the destructive and inhumane impact of sanctions, war and aggression on the lives of the resilient Iranian people should not be underestimated. The continuation of military aggression and the recent bombings deeply affect people’s lives, attitudes and perspectives. This reflects a fundamental human truth: when war inflicts irreparable damage to lives, homes, cities and futures, people will not remain indifferent towards those responsible.
“This raises a fundamental question: Exactly which of the interests of the American people are really being served by this war? Was there any objective threat from Iran that justified such behavior? Does the slaughter of innocent children, the destruction of pharmaceutical facilities for cancer treatment, or the boasting of bombing a country ‘back to the stone age’ serve any purpose other than further damaging America’s global standing?
“Iran continued negotiations, reached an agreement, and fulfilled all of its commitments. The decision to withdraw from that agreement, escalate toward confrontation, and launch two acts of aggression in the midst of negotiations were destructive decisions made by the United States government, decisions that served the deceptions of a foreign aggressor.
“Attacking Iran’s vital infrastructure, including energy and industrial facilities, targets the Iranian people directly. Beyond constituting a war crime, such actions carry consequences that extend far beyond Iran’s borders. They generate instability, increase human and economic costs, and perpetuate cycles of tension, planting seeds of resentment that will linger for years. This is not a show of force; it is a sign of strategic bewilderment and an inability to achieve a sustainable solution.
“Is it not also true that the United States has entered into this aggression as a representative of Israel, influenced and manipulated by that regime? Is it not true that Israel, by manufacturing an Iranian threat, seeks to divert world attention from its crimes towards the Palestinians? Is it not evident that Israel now intends to fight Iran to the last American soldier and to the last dollar of American taxpayers, shifting the burden of its deceptions to Iran, the region and the United States itself in pursuit of illegitimate interests?
“Is ‘America First’ really among the priorities of the US government today?
“I invite you to look beyond the disinformation machinery – an integral part of this aggression – and instead talk to those who have visited Iran. Look at the many successful Iranian immigrants – educated in Iran – who now teach and conduct research at the most prestigious universities in the world, or contribute to the most advanced technology companies in the West. Do these realities align with the distortions they are telling you about Iran and its people?
“Today, the world stands at a crossroads. Continuing down the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever. The choice between confrontation and compromise is both real and consequential; its outcome will shape the future for generations to come. Throughout its millennia of proud history, Iran has survived many aggressors. All that remains of them are names tarnished in history, while Iran endures: resilient, dignified and proud.”
