Speaking at a ceremony at the mausoleum of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini, Pezeshkian said the country had faced war, sanctions, various forms of pressure and ongoing assassinations since his government began work.

He said the government inherited serious challenges across several sectors, including water, electricity, gas, fuel, the environment and banking.

“When we put all these issues together, we must appreciate everyone who worked to manage these conditions,” Pezeshkian said.

Pezeshkian said Iran’s adversaries had expected the country to collapse and believed their actions would turn Iran into another Venezuela.

“Not only did that not happen, but Iran became a power that surprised the world with the nation’s resistance, solidarity and unity,” he said. “Analysts cannot explain how this nation rose again.”

Pezeshkian said his administration was working “with all our strength” to overcome the challenges but acknowledged that problems remained.

“We are ashamed that problems still exist,” he said, describing the country as being engaged in an all-out economic, military and security war.

He said Iran’s adversaries had openly threatened to impose the “most crushing and devastating sanctions” on the country.

“But we have stood firm and are trying to serve the people in the face of this unequal war,” he said.

Pezeshkian praised ministers, officials and managers for their efforts under difficult conditions, saying the list of challenges and responses across different sectors was too long to detail.

Despite the attacks, he said, the country’s markets did not face the disruptions that Iran’s adversaries had expected. He also said there had been no major disruption in the supply of gasoline, food, water, transportation routes and other essential services.