Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on December 27 that his country is waging a “total war” with the US, Europe, and Israel, which he claims want to bring Iran “to its knees.” The declaration came prior to US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on December 29.
According to Pezeshkian, today’s situation is worse than the war Iran fought with Iraq in the 1980s because “(at that time) the situation was clear, they fired missiles, and we knew where to hit,” while today’s war is fought “culturally, politically, and security-wise."
The Iranian president also declared that Iran’s army is stronger today than it was following the 12-Day War with Israel in June 2025, which ended with US forces severely damaging Iranian nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. A subsequent US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran was signed on June 24.
Pezeshkian's declaration is just the latest controversial moment in a long history of tension between Iran and the US, which predates the countries’ current leaders and is deeply rooted in decades of political and economic events. To understand the complex dynamics at play, click through the following gallery to read more about what is really going on between these two countries.