Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the people of the United States in an open letter on Wednesday, accusing the United States of war crimes and calling the country under the influence of Israel, LETA reported, citing AFP. U.S. President Donald Trump, in turn, delivered his first address to the nation since the start of the war with Iran on Wednesday evening, claiming that the U.S. is close to victory.
An open letter from Pezeshkian was published on the website of the Iranian president just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump's scheduled address.
The U.S. and Israel began an attack on Iran on February 28, which escalated into a war in the Middle East, causing upheaval in the global economy.
On Wednesday, Trump stated that the Iranian president is seeking a ceasefire; however, Tehran rejected this claim.
"Attacks on Iran's vital infrastructure, including energy and industry, are directed specifically against the Iranian people," Pezeshkian stated in his address.
"Such actions are not only a war crime but also create consequences that extend far beyond Iran." They sow "instability, increase human and economic costs," and lay the "seeds of resentment that will last for many years," noted the Iranian president.
"Whose interests does this war actually serve among the American people?" Pezeshkian questioned.
Characterizing the conflict as costly for both sides, he asked whether there were "any objective threats from Iran that would justify such actions."
Pezeshkian also questioned whether Washington is involved in the war due to Israel — "under the influence and manipulations of this regime."
"Does the slogan 'America First' truly rank among the priorities of the U.S. government today?" the Iranian president noted.
He also stated that ordinary Americans are not enemies of Iran "even in the face of repeated foreign interventions and pressures."
Trump: U.S. Close to Victory Over Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump delivered his first address to the nation since the start of the war with Iran on Wednesday evening, claiming that the U.S. is close to victory, LETA reported, citing AFP.
In his speech from the White House, Trump provided little new information on how this conflict would end, but promised that "extremely powerful" strikes would be delivered against Iran over the next two or three weeks.
"We are going to finish the job, and we are going to do it very quickly. We are very close [to victory]," Trump said, whose words largely echoed his previous statements on social media and in media interviews.
Explaining why the U.S. joined the attack on Iran initiated by Israel on February 28, Trump stated that U.S. objectives included defeating the Iranian army, stopping Iran's support for armed groups in the region, and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"I am pleased to say that these key strategic objectives are close to being achieved," Trump noted in his 19-minute speech.
"In the last four weeks, our armed forces have achieved rapid, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield — victories that few have seen before," Trump said.
Trump again threatened Iran, stating that if it does not reach a resolution through negotiations, the U.S. "will strike all of its power plants."
"In the next two or three weeks, we will return them to the Stone Age, where they truly belong," Trump declared.
"We have all the cards. They have none," Trump added, boasting of U.S. military power.
The U.S. president also offered encouraging words to allied countries in the Persian Gulf that are under attack from Iran, stating that he would not allow them to "experience pain or suffer failures."
Trump again criticized U.S. European allies for their unwillingness to support his war and noted that they are more dependent on Persian Gulf oil than the U.S. itself.
Countries that "receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz should take care of this transport route," Trump stated, urging European nations to "show belated courage."
