Pezeshkian writes to American people: US is 'proxy for Israel,' Iran harbors no enmity

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian released an open letter addressed to the American people on April 1 (D33), hours before Trump's 9 PM national address. Pezeshkian said Iran 'harbors no enmity towards ordinary Americans' but questioned whether Washington is truly putting 'America First' or acting as a 'proxy for Israel willing to fight to the last American soldier.' He called on US citizens to 'look beyond the machinery of misinformation' and 'reject the manufactured threat.' He referred to US and Israeli strikes on Iranian industrial and energy facilities as 'direct attacks on the Iranian people,' writing: 'When war inflicts irreparable harm on lives, homes, cities and futures, people will not remain indifferent toward those responsible.' He warned that consequences 'extend far beyond Iran's borders.' The New York Times described the letter as 'at times defiant, patronizing or conciliatory.' The letter was posted on Pezeshkian's official X account. Reuters (Tier 1), Al Jazeera, NYT, and Times of Israel all confirmed. The letter came the same day Trump publicly claimed Pezeshkian had asked for a ceasefire — which Iran officially called 'false and baseless.' The letter represents a direct public diplomacy effort to the US population, bypassing the diplomatic deadlock with the Trump administration.