Iran president says US, Israel, Europe waging ‘full-fledged war’ on country

If Israel and the US were to attack Iran again, they would ‘face a more decisive response’, Pezeshkian warns.Published On 27 Dec 2025Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that the United States, Israel and Europe are waging a “full-fledged war” against his country.“In my opinion, we are in a full-fledged war with America, Israel and Europe. They do not want our country to stand on its feet,” Pezeshkian told the official site of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an interview on Saturday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump declared a ‘new Middle East’ – but what has changed?list 2 of 3Netanyahu pushes for more strikes on Iran, clashing with Trump’s prioritieslist 3 of 3Iran’s government budget reveals tough road ahead as currency hits new lowend of listThe president’s remarks come ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting on Monday with US President Donald Trump. They also come six months after Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran, and after France, Germany and the United Kingdom reimposed United Nations sanctions on Iran in September over its nuclear programme.“Our dear military forces are doing their jobs with strength, and now, in terms of equipment and manpower, despite all the problems we have, they are stronger than when they [Israel and the US] attacked,” Pezeshkian said.“So, if they want to attack, they will naturally face a more decisive response.”The president said that “this war” is unlike past ones.“This war is worse than Iraq’s war against us. If one understands it well, this war is far more complex and difficult than that war,” Pezeshkian said, referring to the 1980-1988 conflict between the neighbouring countries in which thousands were killed.The US and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran has repeatedly denied.Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day war in June, triggered by an unprecedented Israeli attack on Iranian military and nuclear sites, as well as civilian areas.