Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that he would not resign from his position, stressing his steadfastness in the face of challenges, and said: “We will explain to the people exactly how things are going.” Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of seeking to rally the Gulf states against Tehran, exploiting internal divisions to weaken its position, adding: “We face an internal challenge due to the difference in viewpoints, and the Americans and Israelis are exploiting that.” He wondered about the source of the attacks that previously targeted his country, saying: “From those Islamic countries that we consider friendly, attacks were launched on our bases, as happened in the Minab attack, so why do these countries allow the United States to establish military bases from which to attack us?” He denounced attempts to disarm Iran, considering that this would mean “crushing Iran as happened in Gaza,” asking: “Do we accept to be stripped of our defensive power while we are in a position of weakness?” He also denied the existence of any expansionist ambitions for his country, differentiating between Iran's position and "the Zionist quest to establish Greater Israel," describing neighboring countries as "brothers."