Pezeshkian affirms Iran is facing severe historical and economic crises

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the Islamic Republic is experiencing the harshest siege and difficulties since the 1979 revolution, accusing the United States of intentionally escalating living pressures to provoke internal protests. These remarks were made during a televised speech delivered on Wednesday, where he pointed out that the country has never faced such severe blockades, wars, and hardships throughout the past forty-eight years since the revolution. He explained that the American strategy focuses on generating public discontent and economic hardship to foster social protest movements and achieve malicious political objectives. These positions coincide with the ongoing military confrontations between Tehran and Washington that erupted on February 28 through joint American and Israeli airstrikes resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In a related context, Washington imposed a strict blockade on Iranian ports in retaliation for Tehran closing the Strait of Hormuz, which included intercepting and rerouting commercial vessels heading to or departing from those ports. It is worth noting that the Iranian public had witnessed a wave of widespread protests late last December triggered by the high cost of living, which later expanded into broader anti-government movements, amid official accusations leveled by authorities in Tehran against Washington and Tel Aviv for fueling those events.