Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian Urges Americans to Rethink Tehran as “Threat” Ahead of Trump Speech

TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has written an open letter to the people of the United States, challenging the perception of Iran as a threat and questioning whether the U.S. government’s “America First” policy truly serves its citizens.

In the letter, Pezeshkian argued that war with Iran would not benefit the United States and urged Americans to “look beyond political rhetoric” when evaluating their country’s approach toward Tehran.

“What real interests of the American people are being served by this war? Is there any objective threat from Iran that justifies such actions?” he wrote. “Is ‘America First’ really the priority of the U.S. government today?”

Pezeshkian emphasized that labeling Iran as a threat is “the result of political and economic agendas of those in power” and that Tehran’s actions to date have been “legitimate self-defense” rather than acts of aggression.

He further stressed that the relationship between Iran and the United States is often misunderstood, noting that Iran “has never, in modern history, chosen the path of aggression, territorial expansion, colonialism, or domination and has never initiated any war.”

The letter was released just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the nation on Iran.

“The people of Iran hold no animosity toward other nations, including the American people, Europeans, or neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian wrote. He also warned that attacks on Iranian infrastructure have repercussions not only for Iranians but also for populations beyond the country’s borders.

The open letter comes amid escalating tensions in West Asia and growing global attention on U.S.-Iran relations, with Pezeshkian appealing directly to the American public to reconsider narratives shaped by political interests.