TEHRAN -- President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that enemies had expected attacks on Iran’s security forces and military infrastructure to trigger unrest and bring down the country from within, but the Iranian people instead rallied behind the country.
“The enemy thought that when it attacked our law enforcement forces, the Basij and our border bases, people would take to the streets and an uprising and dissatisfaction would emerge from within, bringing down the country,” Pezeshkian said.
“Those very people came and stood firm; those who had grievances against us stood firm and supported us, and poured cold water on the hopes of our enemies,” he added.
Speaking at a ceremony marking Doctors’ Day, Pezeshkian said the attacks had been based on the assumption that killing senior Iranian figures and striking key institutions would cause the country to fragment within days.
“They imagined that if they attacked, within a day or two, by martyring our senior figures, they would be able to tear our country apart and, in reality, cause it to disintegrate,” he said.
But as the confrontation continued, the president said, it became clear that a nation attached to its homeland could not easily be brought to its knees or forced to surrender.
“We may have disagreements, and we may have grievances with one another, but when it comes to the homeland, we are all together,” Pezeshkian said. “We will stand together for Iran and strive for the country’s dignity and pride to the very end.”
Pezeshkian said Iran has remained under an “all-out economic, military and security war”, while also facing sanctions and other forms of pressure.
“The enemy had assessed that Iran would fall and become Venezuela,” he said. “Not only did that not happen, but it became a power before which the world was astonished by this resistance, solidarity and cohesion.”
He said Iran’s response also demonstrated the role of the country’s medical community during wartime, praising doctors and healthcare workers who remained at hospitals even when they were not scheduled to work.
“Nobody believed that our healthcare system would be present in the field in this way and serve the people and our country,” Pezeshkian said.
He also called for national unity
 in confronting economic pressure, saying Iran needs people prepared to act rather than simply criticize from the sidelines.
“Iran today needs round-the-clock service; it does not need advice and recommendations, but people who come into the field and take a burden off the country’s shoulders,” he said.
Pezeshkian said that maintaining unity and adhering to collective decisions are essential to confronting external pressure.
“If we stand behind our decision and our agreement, we will be victorious,” he said. “But if we make a decision and then violate it, the path we take will become unstable.”
The president said Iran will continue its efforts to address economic difficulties while resisting attempts to create division and internal fractures.
“We will do everything in our power to stay away from division, rifts, conflicts and egotism,” he said.