Huckabee says Iran’s ‘ultimate goal is to destroy the US’
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, speaking at the Israel National Security Studies conference, says President Donald Trump has been clear that Iran will not be allowed to go nuclear. (Video: Israel National Security Studies.)
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country is engaged in what he described as a “total war” with the U.S., Israel and Europe.
In an interview published Saturday by Iranian state media, Pezeshkian said that he believes the Western powers want to bring Iran “to its knees,” The Times of Israel reported.
“In my opinion, we are at total war with the United States, Israel and Europe,” Pezeshkian said. “They want to bring our country to its knees.”
Pezeshkian argued that the current conflict is more complex than the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, saying his country is now under pressure “from every angle,” according to The Times of Israel.
IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER REITERATES ‘SERIOUS DAMAGE’ TO NUCLEAR FACILITIES, DESPITE AYATOLLAH’S COMMENTS
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks with Fox News Channel’s Martha MacCallum during an interview on Sept. 25, in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
“If one understands it well, this war is far more complex and difficult than that war. In the war with Iraq, the situation was clear, they fired missiles, and we knew where to hit,” Pezeshkian said, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“Here, they are besieging us from every aspect, they are creating problems for us in terms of livelihood, culturally, politically, and security-wise.”
Despite the strain, Pezeshkian claimed Iran’s military emerged stronger following its June conflict with Israel, according to The Times of Israel.
“Our beloved 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 attacked. So if they want to attack, they will naturally face a more decisive response,” he said.
IRAN’S LEADER THREATENS ‘EVEN BIGGER BLOW’ AGAINST US, TRUMP SAYS HE’S IN ‘NO RUSH’ TO TALK
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in a joint press conference with President Donald Trump at the White House, Sept. 29, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The interview with Pezeshkian was released ahead of a planned meeting this coming week at Mar-a-Lago between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Tensions remain high following a brief but intense air conflict in June that was kicked off by Israel.
The fighting resulted in roughly 1,100 deaths in Iran, including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists, while Iranian missile attacks killed 28 people in the Jewish State.
TRUMP’S BIG ACHIEVEMENT IN BOMBING IRAN, STILL SLAMMED BY CRITICS – AS HE SUGGESTS ‘REGIME CHANGE’
President Donald Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
On June 22, President Donald Trump announced U.S. forces had launched attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
“Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” the president said. “Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
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A US-brokered ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect on June 24.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.