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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied that his nation is posing a threat to the U.S. in an open letter, and defended Iran's actions in the ongoing war, citing it as "legitimate self-defense."

In the translatedfour-page letter posted on Xaddressed to the "people of the United States" on April 1, Pezeshkian wrote that the Iranian people "harbor no enmity toward other nations, including the people of America, Europe, or neighboring countries."

"This is a deeply rooted principle in Iranian culture and collective consciousness – not a temporary political stance," Pezeshkian said. "For this reason, portraying Iran as a threat is neither consistent with historical reality nor with present-day observable facts."

Pezeshkian's letter came hours beforePresident Donald Trumpthreatened that the U.S. would bring Iran "back to the Stone Ages where they belong" while making another case publicly for thewar on Iranduring aprimetime address. While his speech did not reveal any major updates regarding the war, Trump reiterated his stance that the administration's goal is to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. The president also did not give a timeframe for when the war would end, after saying on March 31 that it could conclude in "two weeks, maybe three."

President Trump speaks to the nation on Iran from the White House

In his letter, Pezeshkian also accused the U.S. of being a "proxy for Israel," and said the U.S. launched "two acts of aggression" during negotiations to end the war. He encouraged Americans to question the Trump administration's claims about Iran.

Additionally, Pezeshkian said the war is further damaging the "global standing" of the United States.

Trump's war:A head for the exits in Iran leaves complications behind

The notion of Iran as a threat is 'invented'

Pezeshkian noted that the perception of Iran as a danger was invented. The Iranian president said that notion is "the product of political and economic whims of the powerful — the need to manufacture an enemy in order to justify pressure, maintain military dominance, sustain the arms industry, and control strategic markets.

"In such an environment, if a threat does not exist, it is invented," Pezeshkian added.

The Iranian president also urged Americans to "look beyond the machinery of misinformation," and speak with visitors to Iran or observe the contributions of Iranian immigrants in Western academia and technology as a counter-narrative to official rhetoric.

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Pezeshkianwrote that the world "stands at a crossroads."

"Continuing along the path of confrontation is more costly and futile than ever before," Pezeshkian said. "The choice between confrontation and engagement is both real and consequential; its outcome will shape the future for generations to come."

What did Trump say in his speech?:Key takeaways from Iran address

Do Pezeshkian's words carry any weight?

Despite a well-constructed letter, foreign policy experts believe Pezeshkian's words could fall short as the war continues.

While Pezeshkian is speaking symbolically as president, the remaining leadership of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is now in command of all things Iran, especially the war, saidAlp Sevimlisoy, a geopolitical strategist and 2021 Millennium Fellow at the Atlantic Council.

"The power (Pezeshkian) holds is very minimal now because IRGC is running the show," Sevimlisoy told USA TODAY from Istanbul, Turkey. "A lot of their generals are acting independently of the central command of the Iranian state in the absence of a credible supreme leader.

"(Pezeshkian) is posturing as this is narrative building to reposition the Iranian people for the next stage of this conflict, which is likely the deployment of U.S. ground forces," Sevimlisoy added.

While Pezeshkian's letter mentioned negotiations and a desire to end the war, the Iranian president's comments could also be seen by some as propaganda, saidMark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marine colonel and a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic International Studies.

"In terms of getting traction with a majority of Americans, his words are only as important if they are reflected in the actual negotiations taking place," said Cancian, who spent more than 30 years in the Marine Corps and served on multiple tours in Iraq. "Time will tell."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Iranian president denies Iran is a threat to US in letter to America

The death of anearly blind refugeewho didn't speak English and was found dead in February in New York state days after Customs and Border Protection officers left him outside a coffee shop was a homicide, a state medical examiner's office said Wednesday.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam's manner of death was determined to be a homicide with cause of death being "complications of a perforated ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Poloncarz said the cause of death "refers to the disease or injury that initiates the lethal sequence of events."

Poloncarz said his office was barred by state law from publicly releasing the official autopsy and report on the death. He said he wished he could release it.

The Erie County District Attorney's Office said it has requested the autopsy report and would be reviewing the findings and evidence in the case.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said, "Every individual involved in the death of Mr. Shah Alam must be held fully accountable."

"To ensure a fair and impartial investigation, the Erie County District Attorney must continue his investigation and, if warranted by the evidence, prosecute to the fullest extent of the law," Hochul said in a statement.

The Erie County health commissioner, Dr. Gale Burstein, said Wednesday that Shah Alam had a "stress ulcer" that burst open.

"If that is not repaired in a short period of time, it can cause death, which is what we have, we felt we've seen in this instance," she said, later adding, "It's a medical emergency."

She said that Shah Alam experienced "severe stress" and that "stress was felt to be hypothermia, being in very cold temperatures, and dehydration, so no access to liquids."

Burstein said homicide as a manner of death "refers to death resulting from volitional or through a choice or decision or an act of another, and so this includes negligent acts or omissions or inaction."

Burstein said "the designation of homicide does not imply intent to cause harm or death" and does "not indicate criminality, which is the purview of the judicial system."

The officials declined to comment on whether the findings meant CBP's actions the night it released Shah Alam contributed to the death.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to request for comment on the medical examiner's findings.

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said Shah Alam's death "had NOTHING to do with Border Patrol."

"Mr. Shah Alam passed almost A WEEK AFTER he was released by Border Patrol," the spokesperson said.

The Buffalo Police Department said in a preliminary timeline that Shah Alam was released from the Erie County Holding Center on Feb. 19. Shah Alam's attorney reported him missing on Feb. 22, and he was found dead on Feb. 24, it said.

Burstein said at the news conference that officials did not know when Shah Alam died and that it was "impossible to know the exact date and time." Any further details would be in the medical examiner's autopsy report that they could not release publicly due to state laws, she said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement ahead of the news conference that Shah Alam "fled genocide to build a life in this country. Instead, he was abandoned and left to suffer alone in his final hours."

"No New Yorker should be treated this way. My office is continuing our review of the circumstances and treatment that led to Mr. Shah Alam's death," she said.

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said late last month that Shah Alam's death was preventable and "deeply disturbing and a dereliction of duty by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection."

Ryan said in a statement Wednesday, "A vulnerable man — nearly blind and unable to speak English — was left alone on a cold winter night with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location." He added that CBP's behavior in the incident was "unprofessional and inhumane."

CBP previously said in a statement to NBC News that the Buffalo Police Department on Feb. 19 alerted Border Patrol about a noncitizen in its custody. CBP determined Shah Alam had entered the U.S. as a refugee in December 2024 and "was not amenable to removal" and could not be deported. Border Patrol agents offered Shah Alam a ride, "which he chose to accept to a coffee shop, determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station."

"He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance," the agency said.

The agency declined to say whether Shah Alam's family or friends were notified of his release and when it would take place, as well as what country he was from.

"Nobody told me or my family or attorney where my dad was dropped off,"Mohamad Faisal, one of Shah Alam's children, told Reuters. Faisal told the news agency that their family were Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

Shah Alam's death caused alarm among New York state officials and advocates who criticized CBP for leaving him outside a coffee shop, which was closed at the time,according to the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo.

"The death of a loved one is never easy and the national and international attention focused on Mr. Alam, his life and his death are an added burden to this family, and my thoughts are with them, especially today," said Burstein, the county health commissioner.

This article was originally published onNBCNews.com

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April 2 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday offered to provide Ukraine's expertise in dealing with freedom of navigation in ‌the Black Sea to countries considering how to keep ‌the Strait of Hormuz open amid conflict in the Middle East.

Zelenskiy, speaking in his ​nightly video address, said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had taken part in a virtual meeting devoted to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, attended by about 40 countries.

"Ukraine has relevant expertise concerning sea waterways, concerning the ‌defence and reopening of ⁠maritime traffic," he said.

"If (our) partners are ready to act we will consider how we can strengthen them, how ⁠we can apply our expertise, knowledge and technological potential."

Zelenskiy offered no further details.

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Ukrainian forces have developed technology, including sea drones, that has enabled ​them during ​four years of war to score ​notable successes over Russian ships ‌in the Black Sea and kept Moscow from controlling the waterway.

The president embarked last week on a tour of Middle Eastern countries as part of a drive to provide them with defence technology it has developed in four years of countering drones, many of them ‌designed in Iran.

He said he was ​expecting a report on progress in the ​issue on Friday from ​Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's top negotiator in talks on reaching ‌a settlement to the war.

On Wednesday, ​Zelenskiy said that ​Ukraine was already cooperating with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan, and was also in contact with ​Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq. ‌The government team was also in talks on potential agreements ​with Turkey and other countries.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and ​Bogdan Kochubey; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)