Iranian President Masoud Bazshkian admitted on Sunday that the Iranian society faces 'multiple challenges' as the United States plans to intensify its economic pressure on Iran with a new wave of sanctions.
In a speech broadcasted on state television, Bazshkian stated, 'I recognize that our society is currently experiencing several difficulties. We are doing our utmost to prevent the situation from worsening.'
These remarks come as the United States threatened on Thursday to tighten economic sanctions on Iran 'to push this regime to the brink of collapse,' nearly six months after the war began with the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February.
Bazshkian responded to the U.S. declarations by saying, 'We are facing a comprehensive war on economic, military, and security fronts. President Donald Trump openly says that he is imposing the toughest or most crushing sanctions on Iran.'
Bazshkian affirmed, 'We are striving hard to overcome inflation, livelihood issues, and unemployment to ensure the future of the people and allow them to live with dignity and pride.'
In recent years, the Iranian government has faced several waves of protests, often sparked by the deteriorating economic situation, inflation, and declining purchasing power.
In late December, a protest movement ignited by rising living costs turned into widespread demonstrations against Iran's leadership.
Authorities have reported more than 3,000 fatalities in those protests, attributing the violence to 'terrorist acts' allegedly orchestrated by the United States and Israel.
Conversely, NGOs operating outside Iran have reported thousands of deaths resulting from the authorities' violent crackdown.