US thought it could pull a Venezuela in Iran, but failed: Masoud Pezeshkian

In an interview with India Today, Masoud Pezeshkian said the US tried to topple Iran and install a puppet government. He said the plan failed as Iranians rallied behind the state despite attacks and internal discontent.Pezeshkian said Iran was prepared to negotiate on the nuclear issue within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and internationally recognised principles. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has claimed that the United States believed it could topple Iran's government within 24 hours and install a “puppet government”, much as he said Washington had done in Venezuela and Syria.In an exclusive interview with India Today, Pezeshkian said the US had underestimated Iran's resilience and expected the Iranian people to remain silent after attacks targeting the country's leadership, military commanders and key infrastructure.“They envisioned that just like Venezuela, they would be able to conquer our country within 24 hours and establish their own puppet government in Iran,” Pezeshkian said.He added that Washington had expected Iran to follow a trajectory similar to Syria, believing that the killing of Iran's leader, military commanders and senior officials would create conditions for the government to be toppled. “They thought that within a few days after martyring our leader and military commanders, managers, directors, and ministers, then the society would remain quiet, and they would be able to reach their own objectives,” he said.However, Pezeshkian claimed that the US calculation failed as Iranians rallied behind the government and the country's territorial integrity. “Not only this did not happen, but only the people came to the street with full power,” he said.‘AMERICA TRIED TO TOPPLE GOVERNMENT, IT FAILED’Pezeshkian said the conflict had strengthened unity inside Iran, including among people who had previously been dissatisfied with the government.He acknowledged that Iran had internal disputes before the conflict, but said even those who were discontented had stood by the country's territorial integrity following what he described as attacks and aggression by its enemies.“Based on what they did, we are getting united on a daily basis,” Pezeshkian said.He also claimed that some Iranians living abroad returned to the country following the attacks.The Iranian president said the government, backed by the people and military, had managed to overcome the challenges created by the conflict despite what he described as sustained efforts to topple it.“What America did, it actually tried to militarily topple down the government. It failed. Then it attacked the infrastructure. Again, it failed,” he said.Pezeshkian said Iranian forces had continued to resist despite facing the military's advanced technology, arguing that Iran's ability to withstand the conflict could not be measured only through military strength.PEZESHKIAN ACCUSES US OF BLOCKING MEDICINES, GOODSPezeshkian further accused the US of attempting to put pressure on Iran by restricting the movement of goods, food and medicines.“Now it is blocking the route for the importation of goods, even food and medicine, and they have blocked the naval routes,” he claimed, adding that Washington also wanted to block ground routes.He accused the US of contradicting its stated commitment to human rights by imposing restrictions that, according to him, could affect ordinary Iranians and patients.“They want us to surrender. This is not humane. This is the most savage thing they can do,” Pezeshkian said.Despite the pressure, Pezeshkian maintained that the US campaign had failed to achieve its stated objective of destabilising Iran, arguing that the conflict had instead strengthened public unity around the country's territorial integrity.- EndsPublished By: Sonali VermaPublished On: Sep 12, 2026 20:17 IST