Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian asserted Friday that the international community has accepted Iran's victory in its conflict with the United States, according to state media reports. "The entire world approved our victory and the U.S. is hated," Pezeshkian stated, as reported by the IRNA news agency.
These remarks come amid the Trump administration's stated policy of imposing "unprecedented" economic pressure on Iran, aimed at compelling its leadership to abandon its nuclear program and ensure the free passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. The administration has characterized this strategy as "economic warfare."
Separately, comments made by U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, regarding the Golan Heights have sparked controversy. In a Friday interview, Barrack stated that Israel "still" occupies the territory in violation of United Nations resolutions. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981. The UN considers the territory occupied Syrian land, deeming the annexation invalid and calling for Israel's withdrawal to pre-1967 borders.
This stance contrasts with the Trump administration's March 2019 proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a reversal of long-standing U.S. policy. While this did not alter the territory's international legal status or gain widespread global acceptance, Colombia recently became the second nation, following the U.S., to recognize Israeli sovereignty there.
Barrack's remarks drew criticism from conservative activist Laura Loomer, who posted on X that he "should resign for his lack of understanding of U.S. foreign policy."