Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country is engaged in what he described as a "total war" with the U.S., Israel and Europe.

In an interview published Saturday by Iranian state media, Pezeshkian said that he believes the Western powers want to bring Iran "to its knees," The Times of Israel reported.

"In my opinion, we are at total war with the United States, Israel and Europe," Pezeshkian said. "They want to bring our country to its knees."

Pezeshkian argued that the current conflict is more complex than the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, saying his country is now under pressure "from every angle," according to The Times of Israel.

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"If one understands it well, this war is far more complex and difficult than that war. In the war with Iraq, the situation was clear, they fired missiles, and we knew where to hit," Pezeshkian said, according to The Jerusalem Post. 

"Here, they are besieging us from every aspect, they are creating problems for us in terms of livelihood, culturally, politically, and security-wise."

Despite the strain, Pezeshkian claimed Iran’s military emerged stronger following its June conflict with Israel, according to The Times of Israel.

"Our beloved military forces are doing their jobs with strength and now, in terms of equipment and manpower, despite all the problems we have, they are stronger than when they attacked. So if they want to attack, they will naturally face a more decisive response," he said.

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The interview with Pezeshkian was released ahead of a planned meeting this coming week at Mar-a-Lago between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Tensions remain high following a brief but intense air conflict in June that was kicked off by Israel. 

The fighting resulted in roughly 1,100 deaths in Iran, including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists, while Iranian missile attacks killed 28 people in the Jewish State.

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On June 22, President Donald Trump announced U.S. forces had launched attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

"Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror," the president said. "Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated."

A US-brokered ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect on June 24.

Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this report.

The Los Angeles Lakers entered their second season under head coach JJ Redick with hopes of improving on last year’s early playoff exit

With just over one-third of the NBA season already completed, the Lakers have experienced some ups and downs this year. After getting off to a 15-4 start, the Lakers struggled with inconsistency. In Thursday’s primetime matchup, the team fell short of Redick’s expectations.

The Houston Rockets dominated the Lakers en route to a 119-96 win on Christmas Day. Redick sounded off after Los Angeles dropped a third straight game, questioning his team’s effort and professionalism.

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"We don’t care enough right now," Redick said. "And that’s the part that bothers you a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don’t care enough to be a professional." The assessment drew a sharp reaction from former NBA player Kenyon Martin.

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"So he said the words of the day are what? Is this the f-----g kindergarten classroom where you put words of the day on the f-----g board? What are we talking about here?" asked Martin on a recent episode of "Gil’s Arena."

"‘The words of the day are effort and execute.’ I saw that when I used to drop my son off at school in kindergarten two years ago. There was a word of the day on the door when you walk in. You got to tell the teacher the word of the day before you get into the classroom. Is this what we’re doing here? We’re professional athletes who are making 30, 40, or 50 million dollars a year. That’s what we’re doing here."

Martin then floated a theory on how the Lakers locker room views Redick. 

"JJ, I don’t know if you know this or not, bro. Them dudes don’t respect you. You are their peer. Just because you have the head coach title, they don’t look at you as such." Redick last appeared in an NBA game in 2021 with the Dallas Mavericks.

From Martin’s perspective, NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James is viewed as more of a leader than the team’s head coach.

"And the main corporate is the guy who you just had got the podcast with. That helped get you the job, man. Let’s call a spade a spade," he said. "Once you address the crying, every possession to the rest with Luka and Austin Reeves and LeBron once. If you addressed it once, if they respect you, they’ll go out of their way to try to change it because you’re a new voice in there. And you gave a certain effort when you played, JJ Redick. You did. You played hard every time you stepped on the floor. People respected that about you."

Redick also committed to making Saturday’s practice ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings "uncomfortable" for the Lakers.

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