ISTANBUL 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday his country is compelled to pursue the path of justice to stand as a barrier against those who seek to harm the Iranian people at home and abroad, stressing the need to distinguish between peaceful protests and efforts to sow division.

“We are obligated to listen to peaceful protesters,” the president said, adding that “there are those who seek to ride the wave of protests in order to divide the nation,” according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

“We must give our people their sovereignty and involve them in decision-making, while remaining vigilant against attempts to turn protests into sedition,” he said.

The president noted that recent experiences have shown that “sworn enemies, including the Israeli regime and its Western supporters, have consistently sought to incite unrest, create division, and fragment Iran.”

He said such actors attempted to exploit social demands by pushing protests toward “violence, assassinations, and the destruction of public property,” including attacks on military forces and service facilities, “have no place in any norm of civil protest.”

The president added that authorities must reassess their conduct and performance toward citizens to deprive those seeking to turn protests into hatred and incitement of any pretext, saying that “sincere service to the people is the primary barrier against enemy infiltration.”

The remarks come as tensions have escalated between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks, following US President Donald Trump’s statements that a “massive armada” was moving toward Iran, alongside his call for Tehran to “come to the table” for negotiations.

Iranian officials have warned that any US attack would draw a “swift and comprehensive” response, while reiterating that Tehran remains open to talks only under what it describes as “fair, balanced and noncoercive terms.”