Iran will not yield to “bullying” or “arrogance” and will continue to defend its national interests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in New Delhi on Friday, in a message directed at the United States and Israel amid renewed hostilities in West Asia.
Addressing a gathering of religious leaders, academics, intellectuals and business representatives, Pezeshkian said Iran was committed to peaceful coexistence in the Gulf but would resist attempts by foreign powers to create divisions within the country.
“We will not surrender to oppression. Iran is standing up to Israel and the US because we will not be bullied, and if they push us, we will push them back,” he said.
Referring to a reported US strike near a school in southern Iran, whichkilled 168 children, Pezeshkian accused the US and Israel of targeting civilian infrastructure, hospitals and livelihoods. “They think people will surrender because of the lack of supplies, but the people of Iran will not surrender,” he said.
He likened the actions of the US and Israel to “someone riding a wild horse without reining it in”, warning that it would eventually lead to their “doom”.
Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday for a three-day visit, primarily to attend the BRICS summit. Earlier in the day, he held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in West Asia and bilateral ties.
Describing his discussions with Modi as “nice talks”, the Iranian President said they would pave the way for greater cooperation in trade, technology and culture. He also said Iran was ready to be a strategic partner in supplying energy and food to the region.
At the BRICS Business Forum, Pezeshkian called for greater use of national currencies in trade among BRICS members and pitched Iran’s geographical location, energy resources and transport networks as a bridge for the bloc’s economic connectivity.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking separately, said Tehran viewed India as a “great emerging country” and expressed confidence in its leadership of BRICS. He said members broadly supported strengthening the use of national currencies in intra-BRICS trade, while discussions on a common currency were continuing.
The gathering addressed by Pezeshkian was attended, among others, by Araghchi, Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Patanjali Ayurved co-founder Acharya Balkrishna and Observer Research Foundation Director General Sujan R. Chinoy.
(With inputs from PTI)
