Iran's president says country is in "all-out war", vows to "resist"

Pezeshkian's comments follow weeks of hardening rhetoric from Washington and Tehran, with tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz still near a standstill

Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said the country is in "all-out war" and will "resist" its enemy, according to Fars. He has previously said nuclear talks have preceded strikes rather than stopped them, as Washington reinforced forces near the Strait of Hormuz.

The statement follows a run of hardened positions on both sides. President Trump has said Iran still has to be "finished off" and that its drone-making capacity is "soon to be gone," after earlier saying the two countries would "soon finish up" without giving details. Vice President Vance has said Tehran cannot claim it does not want a nuclear weapon while enriching uranium to 60%, and Secretary of State Rubio has repeated that Iran must not be allowed a nuclear program. Neither has set out a timeline or a mechanism for talks to proceed. Iran's army has said a preemptive strike remains an option if the country is threatened, and Iran's government has said the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen under pressure.

Tanker traffic through the strait has stayed near a standstill. Treasury Secretary Bessent has confirmed that Iran has shipped no crude by tanker since August 25. The US evacuated 12 B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford after officials cited an Iran attack threat tied to an IRGC-linked recruitment plot.

Pezeshkian's language lands on top of that pattern rather than breaking it. There is no sign Tehran is softening the sequencing conditions it has attached to any resumption of talks, and seven vessel strikes near the strait have been documented since late September. Taken together with the halt in Iranian tanker shipments, the statement points to continued disruption risk for oil markets and broader risk sentiment, rather than any movement toward de-escalation, with mediation still stalled while the rhetoric on both sides escalates.