Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has penned an open letter to Americans, questioning the United States’ foreign policy objectives “amid a flood of distortions and manufactured narratives” circulated by the Trump administration as the war drags on into another month.
“Is ‘America First’ truly among the priorities of the U.S. government today?” Pezeshkian wrote.
Pezeshkian’s letter, which comes to Iran’s defense as a nation claimed to have never initiated a war, portrays President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda as antithetical to the United States’ ongoing military campaign in the Middle East that has led to countless deaths, decimated infrastructure, and a massive energy supply disruption due to the closure of the oil chokepoint the Strait of Hormuz.
“This raises a fundamental question: Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war?” Pezeshkian wrote. “Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior? Does the massacre of innocent children, the destruction of cancer-treatment pharmaceutical facilities, or boasting about bombing a country ‘back to the stone ages’ serve any purpose other than further damaging the United States’ global standing?”
The letter was released Wednesday afternoon, hours before Trump was scheduled to address U.S. citizens directly for the first time since military strikes began in Iran. The president did not speak to or prepare the American people prior to the initial strikes launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28.
Its release also occurred just hours after Trump stated publicly that negotiations between U.S.-Iranian officials could lead to a ceasefire in the not-too-distant future. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. won’t consider a ceasefire until the “Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear.”
“Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” Trump wrote.
Iran has deemed such reports as inauthentic.
“Attacking Iran’s vital infrastructure—including energy and industrial facilities—directly targets the Iranian people,” Pezeshkian wrote. “Beyond constituting a war crime, such actions carry consequences that extend far beyond Iran’s borders.
“They generate instability, increase human and economic costs, and perpetuate cycles of tension, planting seeds of resentment that will endure for years. This is not a demonstration of strength; it is a sign of strategic bewilderment and an inability to achieve a sustainable solution.”
He claimed that the U.S. “entered this aggression as a proxy for Israel, influenced and manipulated by that regime.” That’s associated with Israel’s efforts to, as Pezeshkian described, divert global attention from the nation’s “crimes” toward Palestinians.
“Is it not evident that Israel now aims to fight Iran to the last American soldier and the last American taxpayer dollar—shifting the burden of its delusions onto Iran, the region, and the United States itself in pursuit of illegitimate interests?” he wrote.
Iran President Claims 'No Enmity'
The conflict has now exceeded the 30-day mark and left many Americans questioning the intent of the operation in the first place—notably after Trump and administration officials touted the “obliteration” of Iranian nuclear facilities in the summer of 2025.
Trump has made conflicting remarks throughout the duration of the conflict, including that the war is beginning but could also end soon. On Tuesday, he said the war could conclude within a 2-3 week timeframe; however, he said after the initial strikes that the war could last 4-6 weeks. No "end goal" has been outlined beyond not allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons.
The president has also laid blame on NATO allies for not joining the U.S. in its military efforts, openly questioning whether the United States should leave the alliance altogether. The sentiment has been echoed by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
On Tuesday, the national average gas prices exceeded $4 per gallon for the first time since 2022. Numerous polls have shown that the vast majority of Americans, notably independent voters, oppose military action overseas.
“The Iranian people harbor no enmity toward other nations, including the people of America, Europe, or neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian said. “Even in the face of repeated foreign interventions and pressures throughout their proud history, Iranians have consistently drawn a clear distinction between governments and the peoples they govern.
“This is a deeply rooted principle in Iranian culture and collective consciousness—not a temporary political stance.”
He also said that portraying Iran as a threat “is neither consistent with historical reality nor with present-day observable facts,” adding: “Such a perception is the product of political and economic whims of the powerful—the need to manufacture an enemy in order to justify pressure, maintain military dominance, sustain the arms industry, and control strategic markets. In such an environment, if a threat does not exist, it is invented.”
Trump is scheduled to address the American people and world at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.
