Pezeshkian: Iran has proven its commitment to diplomacy and peaceful solutions
Tehran - BORNA - The text of the message by Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, addressed to the Leader of the Catholic Church is as follows:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
"As for 'Aad, they were arrogant upon the earth without right and said, 'Who is greater than us in strength?' Did they not see that Allah who created them was greater than them in strength? And they were rejecting Our signs." — The Holy Quran, Surah Fussilat, Verse 15
"The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord; the heart has withdrawn from its Maker. For the beginning of sin is pride, and whoever clings to it pours out filth. Therefore the Lord brought upon them unheard-of calamities, and destroyed them completely. The Lord has cast down the thrones of arrogant rulers, and seated the humble in their place." — The Holy Bible, Sirach 10:12-13
Your Holiness Pope Leo XIV, Honorable Leader of the Catholic Church,
I extend my warmest and most sincere greetings to Your Holiness, and I express my gratitude for your moral, logical, and fair positions regarding the attack on February 28, 2026, by the Government of the United States of America. This attack was carried out for the second time and in the midst of negotiations between that country and the Islamic Republic of Iran under baseless pretexts, in blatant contradiction with international law, and with the companionship of the Israeli regime.
As a result of the illegal aggression by the U.S. and the Israeli regime, Ayatollah Al-Uzma Imam Seyed Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Shia world, along with a significant number of high-ranking political and military officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, were assassinated and martyred. Furthermore, 3,468 Iranian citizens, including innocent children at the Shajareh Tayyebah school in the city of Minab, were martyred, and extensive damages were inflicted upon our infrastructure, including schools, universities, cultural heritage and historical buildings, educational centers, religious sites including mosques and synagogues, medical centers, sports facilities, hospitals, bridges, roads, railway lines, power plants, refineries, and petrochemical complexes, which constitute clear examples of war crimes.
The U.S. President, in dangerous and shameless remarks, stated that he "intends to destroy Iran's historical civilization and return it to the Stone Age." These words, as Your Holiness has pointed out, stem from the illusion of absolute power and are based on pride, bullying, excessive demands, and attempts to settle conflicts through unbridled violence, which the human conscience can neither comprehend nor tolerate.
The destructive approach of the United States and the Israeli regime and their illegitimate attacks are not merely directed against Iran, but against the rule of law in the global arena, international law, human values, and the teachings of divine religions; and it is obvious that the costs of this dangerous approach are borne by the entire international community.
Your Holiness;
The Iranian nation, including Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, has lived together in peace and harmony in their ancient land for centuries, and has maintained peaceful coexistence and tolerance with its neighbors, including those on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf, based on historical, cultural, and religious ties. However, the presence of U.S. military bases on the territory of the Persian Gulf countries—which unfortunately were utilized in the recent war for aggression and attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran—forced my country's armed forces, within the framework of legitimate defense and confronting aggression, to target the objectives and interests of the aggressors within the territory of these countries. This is while, as history witnesses, we have never posed a threat or encroachment toward the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our neighbors, and we continue to desire the best relations with all our neighbors and to live in peace, tranquility, and prosperity in the region.
The current situation in the Strait of Hormuz is also the result of the illegal attacks by the aggressors and their use of the land and airspace of the Persian Gulf coastal states to launch attacks against Iran, alongside the enforcement of a naval blockade against Iran by the United States. Obviously, once the current state of insecurity is resolved, transit conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal, and Iran, in line with strengthening secure arrangements for passage through this strategic waterway, will apply effective and professional monitoring and control mechanisms within the framework of international law.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently proven that it remains committed to diplomacy and peaceful solutions for resolving issues, including with the U.S. government. To this end, despite that government's repeated betrayals of the negotiating table and diplomacy, Iran welcomed Pakistan's mediation and entered the Islamabad talks honestly and professionally. Iran's steadfastness against the illegal demands of the U.S. government amounts to standing up for and defending international law and sublime human values. Therefore, the international community is expected to adopt a realistic and fair approach to confront the illegal demands and dangerous, adventurous policies of the United States.
I wish to express once again the gratitude of the Iranian government and nation for Your Holiness's approach based on a "just peace," and to emphasize that the Islamic Republic of Iran, while preserving its right to legitimate self-defense, will remain bound to its sincere commitment to dialogue and resolving problems through peaceful means aligned with law and morality.
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