FIRST ON FOX: As the Trump administration continues negotiations with Iran, it is also taking its message directly to the Iranian people.In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, the State Department bypasses Iran's leadership to tell ordinary Iranians that their country's problems stem not from its citizens, but from a government that "chooses confrontation over opportunity.""The Iranian people are not the problem.A leadership that fears openness and chooses confrontation over opportunity is the problem."The video will run Thursday in Persian language outlets Iran International and BBC Persian.IRAN PROTESTERS EMBOLDENED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S PERSIAN MESSAGING AFTER OBAMA-BIDEN INACTION, ACTIVISTS SAYThroughout the message, the State Department, through a narrator speaking Farsi, emphasizes themes of freedom, opportunity and self-determination, portraying the Iranian people as capable of building a more prosperous future while suggesting the country's leadership has prevented it from reaching its full potential.Members of the Iranian police stand guard at a protest in front of the British embassy following anti-government protests in Tehran, Iran, January 14, 2026.
(Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via )"When Americans see Iran, we see a great people with a rich history and a generation full of talent and potential," the video's translation says."Today, millions of Iranians want what people everywhere want: opportunity, stability, a chance to speak freely, and live without fear.
Iran has the talent, resources, and educated young people to be among the world's most prosperous nations.""The future of Iran should be shaped by its people, not by intimidation or fear.It should be built by the people themselves," the video goes on.
"Iran's story is still being written.Its best chapter may still lie ahead.""The Iranian people deserve to hear the truth directly, without the lies and propaganda of a regime that has spent decades violently suppressing dissen...