Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and the country's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, have simultaneously come out to portray Iran as the wronged and faultless underdog on the world stage.
Attributing the root of the "enmity" toward Iran to the superpowers' opposition to its "stance against the flawed global order," Khamenei remarked on Wednesday: “The issue is not nuclear energy, human rights, or women's rights—these are just excuses."
In recent years, Tehran has consistently suppressed protests related to economic conditions, freedoms, and social justice, with the most notable unrest occurring during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising of 2022.
Triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the country's protests were met with a severe crackdown, with reports from Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Council documenting grave violations, including acts of murder, imprisonment, torture, and sexual violence.
Khamenei further positioned Iran as the target of the Iran-Iraq War for the same reason, framing the conflict as a consequence of the Islamic Republic’s defiance of the prevailing global order, particularly the interests of the US and Soviet Union at the time. The eight-year war, which claimed over a million lives, began when Iraq, under Saddam Hussein and the Ba'ath Party, launched an invasion of Iran in 1980.
“But why was Islamic Iran intolerable for them? We hadn't taken any action against anyone back then. Now, they accuse us of providing missiles here or drones there, but those accusations didn’t exist at the time.
“The voice of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic was a clear stance against the flawed global order, which they opposed and continue to oppose,” he added.
In a similar vein, Pezeshkian, speaking at the UN General Assembly this week, painted Iran as simply acting in self-defence, declaring: “Iran has never started a war, only defended itself heroically, leaving its aggressors regretting their actions.
“Others have neither come to our assistance nor respected our declared neutrality. Global powers have even sided with aggressors. We have learned that we can rely only on our people and indigenous capabilities.”
While Khamenei remains firmly in control of Iran's policy direction, Pezeshkian, notorious for his lack of diplomatic finesse, has struggled to deliver polished speeches. Though he mostly echoes Khamenei’s positions, his occasional missteps leave others scrambling for damage control.
Khamenei has also subtly shifted his rhetoric from outright threats to framing Iran as a victim on the global stage, a move analysts interpret as an attempt to address the severe economic challenges brought on by sanctions.
His speech also unfolds against the backdrop of escalating regional tensions, with Tehran's key proxy group in the region, Hezbollah, facing an Israeli onslaught. Since Monday, Israeli military operations in Lebanon have resulted in 569 fatalities and over 1,800 injuries, with multiple top commanders assassinated over the weekend.
Yet, for the establishment, talk of de-funding regional proxies is a no-go. Pezeshkian raised eyebrows on Monday by suggesting Iran might disarm if Israel did the same—an idea Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi quickly downplayed, clarifying it was a theoretical remark and that Iran has no intention of reducing tensions with Israel.
The very next day, Pezeshkian’s UNGA address was dominated by condemnations of Israel’s “atrocities” in the region amid the Gaza war, triggered by Iran-backed Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7. His speech also unfolds against the backdrop of escalating regional tensions, with Tehran's key proxy group in the region, Hezbollah, facing severe consequences. Since Monday, Israeli military operations in Lebanon have resulted in 569 fatalities and over 1,800 injuries.
So far, Pezeshkian has managed to stay aligned with Tehran's overarching goals, including his rhetorical push to lift sanctions. Yet, the irony persists: Iran remains under sanctions precisely because of the same "red lines" Khamenei refuses to abandon.