Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater national unity as Tehran faces intensifying economic pressure from the United States, warning that sanctions, military confrontation and economic hardship could create conditions for renewed unrest.
Pezeshkian said Iranian officials and citizens would remain united in confronting attempts to create divisions within the country. He argued that national cohesion could help neutralise efforts to exploit economic difficulties and social tensions.
His remarks come as the United States continues what Washington has described as an unprecedented campaign to weaken Iran’s economic lifelines. The latest measures have been presented by the US as an “Economic D-Day” strategy targeting sources of revenue and support for the Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
For Tehran, the pressure is arriving at a particularly sensitive moment, with the national currency reaching a new record low, fuel shortages persisting and concerns growing among authorities about the possibility of renewed protests.
Pezeshkian warns against further pressure
Speaking to officials on Friday, Pezeshkian said Iran’s adversaries were seeking to exploit the country’s difficulties by creating divisions and unrest.
“Through war, blockade and sanctions, the enemies seek to create division, fissures and unrest inside the country,” he reportedly told officials.
The president’s warning reflects the government’s concern that economic hardship could translate into political instability.
Iran experienced major protests in 2019 and 2020 after an increase in petrol prices triggered demonstrations that subsequently developed into broader antigovernment unrest. Pezeshkian has indicated that the government remains conscious of the possibility that another sharp economic shock could produce a similar reaction.
During a televised appearance earlier in the week, he warned that many Iranians were already under considerable pressure.
“People are now on the edge; if I impose another pressure, they may fall off,” he said.
The remark highlighted the difficult balance facing his administration: the government needs to address serious fuel and fiscal problems while avoiding measures that could further increase the cost of living and provoke public anger.
Petrol prices still set to rise
Despite his warning about the consequences of excessive economic pressure, Pezeshkian confirmed that his government would proceed with changes to Iran’s petrol pricing system.
The administration plans to double the price of one of the three petrol quota tiers available to private vehicle owners over the coming weeks. Monthly petrol allocations will also be reduced.
The changes are being introduced against the backdrop of persistent problems within Iran’s energy sector.
The country continues to face fuel shortages despite being a major oil and gas producer. The supplied report attributes the difficulties to widespread fuel smuggling, serious damage or neglect affecting oil and gas infrastructure, and the continued use of expensive and relatively low-quality vehicles that consume large quantities of fuel.
The government therefore faces competing pressures: controlling fuel consumption and addressing shortages while avoiding a broader price increase that could have consequences throughout the economy.
Inflation risk weighs on government
Pezeshkian has indicated that a wider increase in petrol prices could have consequences well beyond what motorists pay at filling stations.
Higher fuel prices would increase transportation and logistics costs, potentially adding further pressure to an inflation problem already affecting households across Iran.
That creates a difficult policy environment for the government. Reducing fuel consumption and limiting smuggling could help address structural problems, but imposing higher prices at a time of economic weakness could deepen the pressure on families and businesses.
The president’s emphasis on avoiding abrupt policy changes therefore reflects concerns that economic reforms could produce consequences the government may struggle to contain.
Those concerns have become more acute as the Iranian currency has continued to weaken.
Rial hits another record low
Iran’s national currency fell to a new all-time low against the US dollar when Tehran’s market opened on Saturday for the beginning of the working week.
The rial traded at more than 2.25 million to the US dollar, adding another layer of pressure to an economy already dealing with sanctions, shortages and inflation.
A weaker currency can make imported goods and essential inputs more expensive, increasing the financial burden on households and businesses.
The currency’s decline has consequently become one of the indicators of the economic strain confronting Tehran as US pressure and military confrontation continue.
US-Iran confrontation continues
The economic crisis is unfolding alongside an ongoing military confrontation between Iran and the United States.
The supplied account says the US military bombed an oil tanker near Iran’s Kharg Island on Saturday, following additional attacks on southern Iran and shipping around the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington has also prevented Iranian tankers from leaving the country’s southern shores as part of a naval blockade intended to restrict Iran’s crude oil exports.
The pressure on oil exports is particularly significant because crude revenues are central to Iran’s economy. Any sustained disruption to exports can therefore affect the government’s ability to generate foreign currency and finance domestic spending.
The military and economic measures have consequently become intertwined, with pressure on energy infrastructure and oil shipments adding to the broader economic difficulties already facing Tehran.
Tehran leaves door open to previous understanding
Despite the continuing confrontation, Iran’s government has indicated that it remains prepared to return to commitments contained in a memorandum of understanding reached with Washington in June.
Iran has said it would resume those commitments if the United States also honours its side of the arrangement.
The understanding subsequently broke down, according to the supplied account, shortly after it was reached.
The position suggests that Tehran is seeking to preserve some possibility of diplomatic engagement even as military and economic pressure continues.
For Pezeshkian’s administration, however, any diplomatic opening must be managed alongside growing domestic concerns about economic hardship and national security.
Iranian authorities warn of unrest
The combination of economic difficulties, military confrontation and public dissatisfaction has led Iranian authorities to issue increasingly strong warnings about possible unrest.
At the end of August, the intelligence directorate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that the United States, Israel and their Western allies had shifted their strategy towards what it called “pressure from within”.
According to the IRGC assessment, the objective was to encourage Iranians to take part in protests and create internal instability.
The claims represent the Iranian authorities’ interpretation of the motives behind potential unrest and have not been independently established in the supplied material.
Iranian officials have nevertheless treated the possibility of renewed demonstrations as a national security concern.
Judiciary promises tougher response
Iran’s judiciary has also signalled that it intends to respond forcefully to activities authorities consider harmful to national security.
Judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei warned last week that judges would prosecute people deemed to be damaging national security more decisively than in previous periods.
He linked the warning to what he described as efforts by Iran’s enemies to provoke unrest inside the country.
The response forms part of a broader government strategy that increasingly frames domestic instability as an element of the confrontation with foreign adversaries.
‘Fourth battlefield’ is the street
Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf described the domestic social environment as another front in the country’s wider confrontation.
Ghalibaf referred to the street and social sphere as the “fourth battlefield”, alongside military operations, diplomatic negotiations and economic services to the population.
His comments illustrate how Iranian officials are viewing domestic economic and social stability as part of the country’s national security challenge.
Police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan has similarly identified livelihoods, unemployment, economic conditions and petrol as potential “pretexts” for local or nationwide protests.
Radan ordered continuous monitoring and instructed security forces under his command to remain prepared for possible unrest.
Government tightens response to dissent
The authorities have also increased punishments against individuals and businesses accused of acting against national security.
On Thursday, Iran’s Supreme Court confirmed a prison sentence of at least 12.5 years for businessman Sadegh Saedinia, alongside the confiscation of millions of dollars in assets.
Authorities said the punishment was connected to his support for nationwide protests in January.
Saedinia’s business interests reportedly included cafes, food companies and hospitality complexes across Iran. His brand had published two Instagram stories announcing a strike in support of protesters.
He subsequently released what was described as a confession in which he expressed regret over his actions.
The case demonstrates the increasing legal and financial consequences facing prominent individuals and businesses that authorities accuse of supporting protest activity.
Iran describes January protests as a ‘coup’
Iranian authorities have characterised the January nationwide protests as a “coup” allegedly organised by the United States, Israel and their allies and carried out with the involvement of armed agents inside Iran.
That description is the Iranian government’s account of the protests and the forces it believes were behind them.
The authorities have also linked some of the executions carried out since the beginning of the war with the United States on February 28 to people accused of involvement in the protests.
The supplied account says dozens of people have been executed by Iranian judicial authorities since the conflict began, with some reportedly accused of participating in the January unrest.
Unity becomes central to Pezeshkian’s message
Against this backdrop, Pezeshkian’s appeal for unity is not simply a political message. It comes as Iran confronts simultaneous economic, military and domestic pressures.
The president is attempting to reassure officials and citizens that the government will not be forced into sudden policy decisions by external pressure, while at the same time acknowledging that the population is already under significant economic strain.
His government still intends to alter parts of the petrol quota system, but he has signalled caution over broader price increases because of their potential effect on inflation and household finances.
Meanwhile, the continued decline of the rial, restrictions on oil exports, fuel shortages and military confrontation with the United States are adding to the economic burden.
For Iranian authorities, preventing those pressures from developing into another nationwide protest movement has consequently become a central concern.
Pezeshkian’s message is that national cohesion can prevent foreign pressure from becoming internal instability. But with economic conditions deteriorating and the government itself warning about possible unrest, maintaining that cohesion may prove increasingly difficult as Tehran confronts the combined effects of sanctions, conflict and domestic economic hardship.
Iran’s Pezeshkian Calls for National Unity as US Economic Pressure Deepens
![Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan September 1, 2026 [Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters]](https://i0.wp.com/wifeynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1788631491363.jpg?fit=720%2C478&ssl=1)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan September 1, 2026 [Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters]
