Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country would continue resisting U.S. military strikes and other pressure during an interview broadcast Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report.”
Pezeshkian also rejected the suggestion that Iran was shaping its decisions around the U.S. election calendar.
Partial transcript follows:
BAIER: In March, you warned that Iran’s economy could collapse within three weeks to a month without a cease-fire. That was six months ago. Your statistics agency now says the economy has shrunk by 10 percent, inflation is surging and the rial has lost more than half its value over the past year. Oil loadings have also dropped from 2 million barrels a day to roughly 250,000.
Given those conditions, how long can Iran continue?
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): These circumstances were caused by the United States. We will continue resisting and find ways to keep our country going. We will endure. President Trump repeatedly said he wanted to bring the Iranian people a gift, but what arrived was guided missiles, heavy weapons and destruction. Their real objective is to provoke unrest and create conditions that could bring down the country’s system and government.
BAIER: Were you wrong about the timeline you gave in March, or is Iran’s economy collapsing now?
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): We will resist until the very end. Certainly, we face economic problems. But we will endure any hardship necessary to survive. If America believes continued sanctions will force us to surrender—
BAIER: How much are your decisions—
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PEZESHKIAN (through translator): —or that we will give in—
BAIER: —influenced by the—
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): —they can continue believing that in their dreams.
BAIER: —U.S. midterm elections?
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): We do not concern ourselves with American elections. If the current U.S. government wants to reach an agreement within the framework of international law, that is acceptable. If not, whether it happens before or after the elections makes no difference to us.
BAIER: Do you believe the war could end before the year is over?
PEZESHKIAN (through translator): We do not want war, but we will defend ourselves firmly. We never sought war and do not seek it now. I strongly believe people should not cause the death of other human beings. If disputes can be resolved through dialogue, we should not resort to killing. Israel’s provocations imposed this war on us, but we do not want it to continue. America must decide whether it wants to bring it to an end.
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