TEHRAN – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that no degree of pressure can force a determined and resilient nation into submission, declaring that Iran’s adversaries “cannot impose their demands with equipment and aircraft.”

Speaking at a ceremony marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Pezeshkian praised the creativity and capabilities of people with disabilities, describing them as a living illustration of the message contained in a book gifted to him during the event, titled “Bad Events Are a Gold Mine.”

The president reflected on the challenges faced by the fourteenth administration from its first day in office, saying those early hardships ultimately revealed overlooked opportunities and capacities. “Today, there is a shared awareness across the government that solving national problems requires drawing on every available resource — especially public participation. We are trying to view problems as a gold mine,” he said.

Highlighting the government’s neighborhood-based mobilization initiative, Pezeshkian drew historical parallels with the Iran–Iraq war, recalling how widespread international support for Saddam Hussein failed because “the people stood by the revolution.” He added that Israel and the United States made a similar miscalculation earlier this year when they believed that “a few days of bombing” could trigger unrest inside Iran. “Once again, the people stood with their nation and foiled their plots,” he said.

His remarks came in the aftermath of the June 13, 2025 conflict, when Israel launched an unprovoked attack on Iranian territory, triggering a 12-day war that killed well over 1,000 Iranians, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. The United States escalated the confrontation by bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities, justifying the strikes with unsubstantiated claims that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran retaliated with more than 22 waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli military sites and infrastructure under Operation True Promise III. A halt in the fighting was announced on July 3 at the request of Israel and the United States. Iran declared the outcome a strategic victory, arguing it had successfully prevented the enemy from achieving its objectives.

The conflict also derailed diplomatic efforts aimed at crafting a new nuclear agreement to replace the 2015 JCPOA, which the U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term. In the months leading up to the war, Iranian officials had signaled willingness to reassure Washington that Tehran was not pursuing nuclear weapons if U.S. sanctions were lifted, though they insisted that uranium enrichment would continue. Reports indicated Iran might have been prepared to offer greater concessions than those included in the original JCPOA — allowing Trump to claim a “better deal.”

Despite these challenges, Pezeshkian emphasized that the government remains committed to working closely with the public. “Anyone who believes problems can be solved without the support and presence of the people is mistaken,” he said. “If we rely on the people — regardless of gender, language, or ethnicity — no problem is unsolvable. We must not divide society into insiders and outsiders.”

He added that the administration is working with public support to address long-standing structural imbalances, particularly those resulting from decades of uneven development. He noted that improving conditions for persons with disabilities remains a priority, while acknowledging that “the government alone cannot solve everything, but with the people’s participation, we can overcome any obstacle.”