TEHRAN - In an extraordinary statement addressed to “the people of the United States of America” and all those seeking truth amid “a flood of distortions,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected US allegations that Iran poses a threat, instead accusing Washington of waging a campaign of aggression designed to justify military dominance, arms sales, and control over strategic markets.

The message, posted on social media early Thursday, comes just days after reports of new American military actions near Iranian borders. It represents one of the most detailed and public appeals by an Iranian president directly to the US populace, bypassing official channels at a moment of heightened tension.

- ‘Never Initiated a War’

Pezeshkian opened by reminding his audience of Iran’s historical identity as “one of the oldest continuous civilizations in human history.” He asserted that in its modern history, Iran “has never chosen the path of aggression, expansion, colonialism, or domination” , despite having endured occupation, invasion, and sustained pressure from global powers.

“Even after possessing military superiority over many of its neighbors, Iran has never initiated a war,” he wrote. “Yet it has resolutely and bravely repelled those who have attacked it.”

The president drew a sharp distinction between governments and peoples, a principle he said is “deeply rooted in Iranian culture and collective consciousness, not a temporary political stance.” He insisted that Iranians harbor no enmity toward the people of America, Europe, or neighboring countries.

Pezeshkian argued that portraying Iran as a threat serves “political and economic whims of the powerful” -- particularly the need to justify the largest concentration of US forces, bases, and military capabilities around a country that “has never initiated a war.”

“In such an environment, if a threat does not exist, it is invented,” he said.

He cited recent American aggressions launched from these very bases as proof of how threatening the US military presence truly is. “Naturally, no country confronted with such conditions would forgo strengthening its defensive capabilities,” Pezeshkian added, framing Iran’s military posture as “a measured response grounded in legitimate self-defense.”

The Iranian president traced the origins of US-Iran hostility back to the 1953 CIA-backed coup that overthrew Iran’s democratically elected government, Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, after he moved to nationalize the country’s oil industry.

“That coup disrupted Iran’s democratic process, reinstated dictatorship, and sowed deep distrust among Iranians toward US policies,” Pezeshkian wrote. He added that distrust deepened with America’s support for the Shah’s regime, its backing of Saddam Hussein during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, the imposition of “the longest and most comprehensive sanctions in modern history,” and two recent unprovoked military aggressions “in the midst of negotiations.”

Despite these pressures, Pezeshkian claimed Iran has grown stronger in measurable ways: literacy rates have tripled from roughly 30% before the 1979 Islamic Revolution to over 90% today; higher education and modern technology have expanded dramatically; and healthcare and infrastructure have developed at an unprecedented pace.

- ‘Massacre of Innocent Children’ and a Question for Americans

The president directly challenged US policy by asking: “Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war?”

He pointed to the destruction of cancer-treatment pharmaceutical facilities, boasting about bombing a country “back to the stone ages,” and the killing of innocent children -- asking whether such acts serve any purpose “other than further damaging the United States’ global standing.”

Pezeshkian reminded his audience that Iran pursued negotiations, reached a nuclear agreement (the JCPOA), and fulfilled all its commitments. “The decision to withdraw from that agreement, escalate toward confrontation, and launch two acts of aggression in the midst of negotiations was a destructive choice made by the US government,” he said.

- Accusing Israel of Manipulation

In one of the most pointed sections of his letter, Pezeshkian accused the United States of acting “as a proxy for Israel, influenced and manipulated by that regime.” He claimed Israel seeks to “manufacture an Iranian threat” to divert global attention from its actions toward Palestinians, and now aims “to fight Iran to the last American soldier and the last American taxpayer dollar.”

“Is ‘America First’ truly among the priorities of the U.S. government today?” he asked.

The Iranian president invited Americans to speak with those who have visited Iran or to observe the accomplishments of Iranian immigrants -- educated in Iran -- who now teach at prestigious universities or work at advanced technology firms in the West.

“Do these realities align with the distortions you are being told about Iran and its people?” he asked.

Concluding, Pezeshkian declared that the world stands at a crossroads. “Continuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before. The choice between confrontation and engagement is both real and consequential; its outcome will shape the future for generations to come.”

He ended with a historical reflection: “Throughout its millennia of proud history, Iran has outlasted many aggressors. All that remains of them are tarnished names in history, while Iran endures, resilient, dignified, and proud.”

The statement comes as the United States has reportedly carried out new strikes inside Iran in recent weeks -- a claim Washington has neither fully confirmed nor denied. The Biden administration has maintained a policy of “maximum pressure” alongside on-and-off nuclear negotiations, but those talks have repeatedly stalled.

Iranian hardliners have long criticized any direct engagement with Washington, but Pezeshkian, a relative moderate elected in 2025, has signaled openness to diplomacy -- though on Iran’s terms.

There was no immediate official reaction from the U.S. State Department. However, analysts noted that the letter’s timing -- just days after new military actions -- appeared designed to place political pressure on Washington by appealing directly to the American public and its allies.

“This is a masterclass in strategic communication,” said Dr. Laleh Khosroshahi, a Middle East scholar at the University of Tehran. “Pezeshkian is doing exactly what the Islamic Republic has long done: bypassing hostile governments to speak directly to their people, using historical grievance and emotional appeal to frame Iran as the aggrieved party.”

Whether the message shifts any hearts or minds in the United States remains unclear. But for a region already on edge, the Iranian president’s words serve as a stark reminder that the gap between the two nations’ perceptions of history, threat, and justice remains as wide as ever.