Iran's President Admits Facing 'Full-Scale War' with US

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that his country is currently facing a “full-scale war” with the United States. According to him, the government and the public must be prepared to face the various consequences of the conflict, especially in the economic sector.

As reported by AFP on Tuesday (21 July 2026), the statement was delivered by Pezeshkian during a meeting with judicial officials in Tehran on Monday (20 July).

“The reality is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian said, as quoted in an official presidential statement.

He added that Iran must be realistic about the situation it is facing.

“We must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance,” he continued.

Pezeshkian assessed that the greatest challenge Iran currently faces lies not only on the military front, but also in the economic sphere.

“The most important battlefield at present is the economy and the people’s livelihoods,” he said.

He warned that continuously rising economic pressure could spark public discontent. If such conditions spread, he said, public support for the state could be eroded.

“If economic pressure leads to the formation of social discontent and this discontent spreads, the immense social capital that the people have built to support the state could be destroyed,” he said.

Iran is facing increasingly heavy economic pressure following the escalation of its conflict with the United States. In June, annual inflation in the country surged to nearly 90 percent. Inflation data for July has not yet been released.

At the end of December, protests initially triggered by the high cost of living developed into widespread anti-government demonstrations. The actions peaked on 8-9 January.

The Iranian government said more than 3,000 people were killed in the series of riots, and accused the violence of being instigated by “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

Meanwhile, a number of non-governmental organisations based outside Iran estimate that the death toll from the unrest is far higher.