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In an interview with India Today, Masoud Pezeshkian said the US tried to topple Iran and install a puppet government. He said the plan failed as Iranians rallied behind the state despite attacks and internal discontent.
Pezeshkian said Iran was prepared to negotiate on the nuclear issue within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and internationally recognised principles.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Sep 12, 2026 20:17 IST
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has claimed that the US believed it could quickly topple Iran's government and install a "puppet government", much as he said Washington had done in Venezuela and Syria.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, Pezeshkian said the US had underestimated Iran's resilience and expected the Iranian people to remain silent after attacks on the country's leadership, military commanders and infrastructure.
He said the US "envisioned that just like Venezuela" it would be able to conquer Iran "within 24 hours" and establish its own "puppet government". He added that Washington had also expected the situation to unfold like Syria.
According to Pezeshkian, that calculation failed as Iranians rallied behind the government and the country's territorial integrity.
"Not only this did not happen, but the people came to the streets with full power," he said.
Pezeshkian claimed the conflict had strengthened unity inside Iran, including among people who had previously been dissatisfied with the government.
He said Iran had internal disputes before the conflict, but even those who were discontented stood by the country's territorial integrity following what he described as attacks and aggression by its enemies.
"Based on what they did, we are getting united on a daily basis," he said.
The Iranian president also claimed that some Iranians living abroad returned to the country following the attacks.
Pezeshkian said the Iranian government, backed by the people and military, had managed to overcome the problems created by the conflict despite efforts to topple it.
He said Iranian forces had continued to resist despite facing the enemy's advanced technology.
He argued that the outcome demonstrated that Iran's resilience could not be measured only in terms of military technology or external support, but also through the unity of its people.
Pezeshkian maintained that the US had expected its campaign to rapidly destabilise Iran, but that the government's survival and the public response had proved otherwise.
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Published By:
Sonali Verma
Published On:
Sep 12, 2026 20:17 IST
