Pezeshkian: Iran is facing the most severe siege since the Islamic Revolution

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that Tehran is facing its toughest siege since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, accusing Washington of seeking to spark popular protests.

Iran and the United States have been at war since February 28, when American and Israeli strikes led to the killing of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"In the forty-eight years since the revolution, we have not faced a siege, war, and difficulties as severe as we are facing today," Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast on state television.

He accused Washington of seeking to make the lives of Iranians difficult in order to cause popular anger and ignite unrest.

Pezeshkian added that the United States is focusing its efforts on "making the people dissatisfied and facing difficulties, and then social protests appear so that they can achieve their malicious goals."

The United States imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran's closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, diverting or stopping ships heading to and from Iranian ports.

Iran has repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of fueling unrest within the Islamic Republic, and in recent months it has executed a number of Iranians accused of cooperating with its enemies.

In late December of last year, Iran witnessed protests against the high cost of living, which quickly spread to various parts of the country and turned into a broader anti-government movement.

The Iranian authorities held the United States and Israel responsible for these disturbances.