Iranian President Pezeshkian wrote on March 19: "The nature of the Zionist regime is state terrorism, but the US's aggression against Iran and the assassination of the martyr leader is a new way of international conflict that will destroy the world's legal system. If the international community does not resolutely oppose this crisis, the flames of this crisis will burn many people."
The view that the Iranian president wants to express is as follows:
Labeling the opponent: Calling Israel "state terrorism" and the U.S. actions "destroying the world's legal system," aiming to elevate the conflict from "regional friction" to "a crime that the international community must jointly oppose," trying to occupy the moral high ground.
Setting war red lines: He had previously clearly stated that attacking the Supreme Leader is equivalent to declaring "full-scale war" against Iran. Therefore, this speech is also emphasizing that the current strikes have crossed the red line, and Iran's retaliation has "legitimacy."
Issuing a deterrent warning: Warning that "the flames will burn many people," implying that if the U.S. and Israel are not stopped, the war will escalate, even affecting other countries outside the region, trying to force the international community to exert pressure.
Although Pezeshkian is the president, the actual military power in Iran is held by the Revolutionary Guards and the close allies of the late leader. Previously, he publicly apologized for the military's mistaken attack on another country, but several hours later, the Revolutionary Guards overturned his statement with action.
After Khamenei's death, his son Mojtaba has taken over as the Supreme Leader and explicitly rejected any proposals for negotiations with the U.S., emphasizing that "this is the time to defeat the enemy."
In summary, Pezeshkian is a national symbol. His speech is an inevitable choice for the nominal head of state to calm domestic public opinion and show a tough stance abroad after the country suffered a "beheading" strike. This is both a final ultimatum to the U.S. and Israel that "the war is far from over," and also an attempt to seek public support from the international community by focusing on "violating international rules."
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860168712987648/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.