Pezeshkian says Iran thwarted expectations of collapse during US-Israel war

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Friday that Iran successfully foiled attempts by its adversaries to destabilise the country and force its collapse through military pressure. Pezeshkian said that Iran did not initiate the war, and that Tehran was actively participating in diplomatic negotiations before the US and Israel started the war. He added that despite foreign expectations of a domestic breakdown, the Iranian public stood firm alongside the government, enabling the nation to resist external pressure and emerge stronger.