India, Sept. 12 -- Iran will not surrender to "bullying" or "arrogance" and will stand firm to protect its national interests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday, September 12, delivering a direct message to the US and Israel amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

Addressing a gathering of religious leaders, intellectuals, academics and business figures in New Delhi, Pezeshkian said Tehran remained committed to peaceful coexistence in the Gulf while opposing foreign forces seeking to create divisions within Iranian society.

"We will not surrender to oppression. Iran is standing up to Israel and the US because we will not be bullied, and if they push us, we will push them back," Pezeshkian said.

He accused the US and Isr...