Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that the pressures imposed on his country “have reached a critical and dangerous stage” in the wake of the American and Israeli attack on Iran, warning of broader repercussions of the conflict in light of what he described as the “unprecedented complexity” that the world is going through.
Pezeshkian's statements came during his participation in the BRICS summit in India, at a time when diplomatic moves to contain the conflict are intensifying, coinciding with the continued disruption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the escalation of American economic pressure on Tehran.
The Iranian President said that his country had been subjected to severe sanctions over the past years, but that pressure had escalated dangerously in recent months with the American and Israeli military attack. He added that the exposure of a country to political and military pressures affecting trade, energy, infrastructure, and the financial system “has repercussions that extend beyond that country’s borders.”
He added that he does not support the continuation of the war, but “at the same time it is necessary for Iran to remain steadfast so that it is not forced to negotiate from a position of weakness.”
New diplomatic moves
In parallel with Pezeshkian's statements, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi discussed with Pakistani Army Commander Asim Munir ways to resume diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing the escalation in the conflict between Iran and the United States.
A Pakistani security official said that Araqchi and Munir held a phone call on Thursday evening, discussing developments in the war on Iran and the possibility of resuming negotiations.
Iranian contacts with Pakistan come at a time when Tehran is trying to expand its diplomatic channels, while negotiations with Washington are still faltering, especially in light of the dispute over the future of the Strait of Hormuz and the security of navigation in it.
In his first official visit to India, Pezeshkian is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun also discussed with his Iranian counterpart Araqchi the situation in the Middle East and the issue of the security of the Strait of Hormuz, during a phone call that took place at Tehran’s request. A South Korean Foreign Ministry official confirmed that his country had not taken a decision regarding deploying forces in the region, noting that Cho stressed the importance of restoring freedom of navigation in the strait.
South Korea had sent a team to assess the situation in Hormuz, at a time when it was under American pressure to contribute to securing the vital waterway. Tehran warned earlier this week that any South Korean military contribution to the conflict would have "serious consequences."
Only seven ships crossed the strait
Navigation in the Strait of Hormuz has been subject to severe disruption since the outbreak of war on February 28, while confrontations and attacks on ships have reduced traffic through one of the most important sea lanes for global energy supplies.
Preliminary data tracking ship movement showed that only seven ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, compared to 11 ships the day before, a number significantly lower than the previous ten-day average of 15 ships, according to Kpler data.
These figures do not include ships that may have turned off their AIS transmitters to avoid detection of their movements.
Before the outbreak of war, the Strait of Hormuz witnessed the passage of about 125 large commercial ships daily, including oil and gas tankers, container ships, and bulk goods. About a fifth of the world's daily supplies of crude oil and liquefied natural gas passed through it.
In an indication of a limited return to the movement of energy through the strait, a tanker belonging to the Qatar Energy Company departed this week to transport a shipment of liquefied natural gas from Ras Laffan to Pakistan, in the first known shipment on board a tanker linked to the company since late July.
Iran announced on Friday that it will hold talks with Arab and Gulf countries in the Sultanate of Oman on Monday about the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, “This meeting aims to enhance understanding among the countries of the region and contribute to strengthening common regional security.”
Washington escalates economic pressure
In Washington, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent announced that the administration of President Donald Trump will impose sanctions on a major bank on Monday, as part of the economic pressure campaign on Iran. Besant did not reveal the name of the bank or the country to which it belongs, but he said that the imposition of sanctions was scheduled for Friday, but was postponed due to the anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The minister stressed that the United States will continue its economic campaign until dealing with the Iranian regime stops, threatening those who continue to deal with Tehran with sanctions that may make continuing their work “futile.”
Over the past months, the Trump administration has tightened sanctions on Iran, targeting oil exports, shipping networks, arms purchasing channels, financial intermediaries, digital assets, and air links. It also expanded secondary sanctions to include parties dealing with Iran in the shipping, aviation, technology, gold, and digital assets sectors.
Trump: No regrets about the war
While the repercussions of the war on energy prices and American domestic politics are increasing, US President Donald Trump renewed his assertion on Friday that the United States will never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. During a speech at a ceremony commemorating the September 11 attacks, Trump described Iran as the number one sponsor of terrorism around the world.
He said that he does not regret waging war against Iran, despite the possibility that the conflict will affect the midterm elections scheduled for November. Trump added, in an interview with Fox News, that if he had to make the same decision again, “he would do exactly what he did,” stressing that he would not allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon.
Trump again linked the end of the war to the midterm elections, saying that it “will end immediately after the elections.”
The rise in oil and gas prices resulting from the war has become an increasingly important political issue in the United States, at a time when Republicans are seeking to maintain their control of Congress.
The United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, and Tehran responded with attacks on Israel and Gulf countries. The war and mutual attacks, in addition to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, led to thousands of deaths, while the repercussions of the conflict extended to international energy and navigation markets.
Oil spill expands in Hormuz
In a worrying environmental development, Greenpeace said that an oil spill on the eastern side of the Strait of Hormuz had nearly doubled in one day. The organization explained, based on satellite images, that the area of pollution increased from about 200 square kilometers on September 9 to about 400 square kilometers the next day.
Greenpeace suggested that the source of the leak was the Rescue tanker, which was spotted near the point where the pollution began before its signals were cut off. She said the leak likely began on the evening of September 8 or during the night. The US military had announced that it had attacked the tanker “Resco” and other ships linked to Iran.
This comes in light of the repeated incidents of oil spills in the region since the outbreak of war and attacks on oil tankers, which raises fears of pollution reaching the coasts, harming the environment, fisheries, and the habitats of marine organisms.
Although the latest opinion polls indicate that the Likud Party, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is declining to its lowest point since May 2025, and its coalition will fall resoundingly, the left and the centrist liberals do not show joy and happiness, because firstly they fear that this failure will be an incentive for Netanyahu to launch another war that will lead to the postponement of the elections, and secondly they notice that the alternative to Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot, is creeping in. Toward the right and expresses positions that do not differ greatly from the positions of the current government, especially on the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Netanyahu's decline has appeared in the weekly poll published by the Maariv newspaper, consistently for 4 years, and conducted by the Lazar Research Institute headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar and with the participation of Panel4All... According to these results, the Likud under his leadership will gain 19 seats, which means that it will lose half of its parliamentary strength (it is represented today with 36 seats), one seat less than last week, while the Yashar Party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, rises with a new seat. Up to 25 seats.
In total, the number of opposition representatives led by Eisenkot becomes 58 seats, the coalition representatives led by Netanyahu have 50 seats, and the Arabs have 12 seats. Netanyahu's bloc obtaining 50 seats is due to the new right-wing party, "Amkha", led by Brigadier General Ofer Venter, which exceeded the electoral threshold and obtained 4 seats. Although this party frankly announced that it intends to recommend Netanyahu to remain prime minister, Likud fears that it will break its pledge, and therefore held a consultation session to fight this party and seek its withdrawal from the competition, because it stands on the verge of the electoral threshold and may not exceed it, causing a huge loss to the camp.
Netanyahu is also concerned that more voters have become convinced that he is no longer fit to be prime minister. In the aforementioned poll, respondents were asked who was most suitable to head the government, and Eisenkot outperformed him (50 percent compared to 38 percent) and Naftali Bennett (45 percent compared to 40 percent for Netanyahu).
There are two problems with these results:
First, it raises fears that Netanyahu will reach a state of despair, and will draw the last weapon to prevent his downfall and postpone the elections, which is the weapon of war. Over the past three years, he has proven several times that he has no qualms about initiating military battles when there is no need to do so, except that they serve his battle to remain in power and evade accountability for his failures. The escalation in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and the West Bank is in this direction. If the American administration is now putting a ceiling on this escalation and limiting the deterioration to the resumption of war, then the Houthis’ military operations to control Bab al-Mandab will open the way for Netanyahu to work in that arena “in defense of global freedom of navigation.”
The second problem is that around Eisenkot there is a growing conviction that the progress in the polls stems from his success in attracting many votes from the right thanks to his own leaning to the right. A Channel 12 poll showed that 18 percent of the votes Eisenkot received came from Netanyahu supporters. According to Haaretz's party affairs editor, Yossi Verter, the list presented by Eisenkot is considered relatively right-wing, and it is "a list full of right-wing sycophants" (9 of the first 20 candidates are religious) and "Eisenkot wanted to show his right-wing tendencies, so he filled his list with extremist right-wingers, who will prevent him from forming a government with the support of Mansour Abbas." He said: “It is possible that Eisenkot’s list is too right-wing or too religious.” It certainly includes flattery to the right and religious Zionism. It is also possible that elements in his party will emerge, following the example of Yoaz Hendel and obstructing the formation of a government with the support of Mansour Abbas's party, or following the example of Gideon Sa'ar and contenting themselves with stealing the votes of the Change camp. It is also possible that Eisenkot does not have political experience, so it is easy for him to be deceived by more experienced politicians.
Political expert Dr. Michael Milstein wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth, saying: “While there is hope that the opposition will win, there is also concern that rapid and radical change may not necessarily be expected, as Eisenkot comes from a right-wing cultural background, and his mother has supported the Shas party for decades. He is known for his tough security positions... In general, it is difficult to find real differences in the positions of Israeli leaders after October 7. The prevailing climate in Israel does not permit the presence of prime ministers who adopt a more moderate approach than Netanyahu.”
In practice, left-wing and liberal leaders believe that there is a real fear that change will be an illusion, if Eisenkot wins. The public wants real change, not just a change in people.
