Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has described his country’s relationship with the United States, Israel and Europe as “full-scale war,” using some of the strongest language from Tehran regarding tensions with Western powers in recent months.
The remarks, published Saturday in an interview on the website of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came just days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump.
“We are in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe; they don’t want our country to remain stable,” Pezeshkian said in the interview.
While the phrase represents political language describing confrontation and pressure, it does not constitute a formal legal declaration of war through legislative or constitutional mechanisms, experts note. Iran has not issued any official parliamentary resolution or treaty action declaring war.
The Iranian president drew contrasts between current tensions and the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. “This war is worse than the one launched against us by Iraq. On closer inspection, it is far more complex and difficult,” he stated.
Pezeshkian described the current situation as a comprehensive confrontation incorporating economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation and military pressure, saying adversaries “surround us from all sides, put us in difficulty and constraint, creating problems — in terms of livelihood, culturally, politically, and security-wise.”
The comments follow a 12-day conflict in June 2025 when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, targeting military and nuclear sites. The fighting resulted in roughly 1,100 deaths in Iran, including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists, according to Iranian authorities.
In late June, U.S. forces struck three Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. President Trump stated at the time that the objective was to destroy Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity.
The strikes brought a halt to nuclear negotiations with Tehran that had begun in April 2025, according to diplomatic sources. In September, France, Germany and the United Kingdom reimposed United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.
Despite the damage from the June strikes, Pezeshkian claimed Iran’s military is now “stronger than when they attacked,” warning that “if the enemy chooses confrontation, they will naturally face a more decisive response.”
Israeli and American intelligence sources, however, indicate Iran is still rebuilding its air defense systems and ballistic missile program, both severely damaged during the June airstrikes.
The timing of Pezeshkian’s remarks has drawn attention, coming ahead of the Netanyahu-Trump meeting where Iran’s missile capabilities and nuclear program are expected to be key topics of discussion.
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Trump has pledged to stop Iran’s efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon, maintaining his “maximum pressure” policy that includes additional sanctions designed to economically pressure the country.
The characterization of current tensions as “war” reflects Tehran’s perspective that diplomatic, economic and informational pressure constitute acts equivalent to military confrontation, though global actors continue to stress negotiation channels and conflict management.
