Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during his visit to the headquarters of Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2026. No power can force the Iranian nation to surrender, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Shadati)
TEHRAN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- No power can force the Iranian nation to surrender, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday.
During a visit to the headquarters of Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in Tehran, he condemned U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran's civilian places, such as schools and medical centers, stressing that targeting such places means that they fail to observe any humanitarian framework, "which is shameful, and should be witnessed by the world."
Attacking another country with no reason is against international law, said Pezeshkian, slamming some countries' silence in the face of the U.S. and Israeli actions.
He shrugged off the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the action would cause problems for the United States, not Iran.
The United States and Israel thought that they could defeat Iran in a matter of a few days, Pezeshkian said in an address to the IRCS personnel. "However, the United States is stuck at present and does not know what to do."
A two-week ceasefire was announced on April 8, followed by peace talks between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad over the weekend.
After the talks failed to secure an agreement, the United States imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz to prevent ships traveling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the waterway. ■
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is pictured during his visit to the headquarters of Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2026.
No power can force the Iranian nation to surrender, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Shadati)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian waves goodbye after his visit to the headquarters of Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2026.
No power can force the Iranian nation to surrender, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Shadati)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (L) speaks during his visit to the headquarters of Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2026.
No power can force the Iranian nation to surrender, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Shadati)
