Iran’s president sends message to Americans in unusual open letter
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visits an exhibition in Tehran in February 2025.
Photo: Iranian Presidency via dpa Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticised the US war against his country in an open letter to the people of the United States on Wednesday, calling it an absurd operation that is costly for their nation. “Today, the world stands at a crossroads,” the president wrote in his message. “Continuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before.” While Iran had seen many aggressors throughout its history, “All that remains of them are tarnished names in history, while Iran endures – resilient, dignified and proud,” Pezeshkian said.
The choice between war and peace would shape the future of entire generations, he said.
By Iranian standards, an open letter to the people of the US is rather unusual.
Observers therefore see it as an attempt by Iran to convince the US public that its government’s decision was wrong and thus indirectly force a ceasefire. “Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war?
Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behaviour?” Pezeshkian said in the letter.
He said that, in its modern history, Iran never chose aggression “despite possessing military superiority over many of its neighbours”.
Further, the Iranian president signalled that the US had entered the war as a proxy for Israel, and insisted that Iran’s attacks against neighbouring countries were a “measured response grounded in legitimate self-defence”. “Is ‘America First’ truly among the priorities of the US government today?” he asked.
The war launched by Israel and the US is now in its fifth week.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said Iran had asked for a ceasefire.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman immediately rejected that.
State broadcaster IRIB quoted Esmail Baghaei as saying Trump’s statements were false and unfounded.
Trump attributed the request for a ceasefire to Iran’s “New Regime President”.
It remained unclear whom exactly he meant by that.
Trump is scheduled to address the nation in a speech on Wednesday evening.
He issued Iran with an ultimatum that will expire on the evening of April 6 to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Since Israel and the US began the war on February 28, shipping through the strait – which is important for oil transport – has virtually come to a standstill.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
原文链接: 南华早报