US-Israeli Attacks on Iran Violation of Rule of Law, Human Values, Pezeshkian Tells Pope
In his message, the Iranian president emphasized the need for the international community to adopt a realistic and fair approach and called on the countries of the world to confront the illegal demands and adventurous and dangerous policies of the United States.
Pezeshkian’s message, according to the president’s official website, is as follows:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
“As for ‘Ad, they were arrogant in the land without right and said: Who is stronger than us in power? Did they not see that Allah, who created them, is stronger than them in power? And they used to deny Our signs.”
The Holy Quran, Surah Fussilat, Verse 15
“The beginning of pride is when one departeth from God, and his heart is turned away from his Maker. For pride is the beginning of sin, and he that hath it shall pour out abomination: and therefore the Lord brought upon them strange calamities, and overthrew them utterly.”
The Holy Bible, Sirach 10:12–13
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV
Respected Leader of the World’s Catholics
I extend my warmest and most sincere greetings to Your Holiness and express my gratitude for your moral, rational, and fair positions regarding the attack carried out on February, 28, 2026 by the administration of the United States of America, which, for the second time and in the midst of negotiations between that country and the Islamic Republic of Iran, was conducted under baseless pretexts and in clear violation of international law, with the cooperation of the Israeli regime.
As a result of the unlawful aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime, His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Imam Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Shia world, along with a considerable number of senior political and military officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, were assassinated and martyred. Furthermore, 3,468 Iranian citizens, including innocent children of the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in the city of Minab, were martyred. Extensive damage was also inflicted on our infrastructure, including schools, universities, cultural heritage and historical monuments, educational centers, religious sites such as mosques and churches, medical centers, sports facilities, hospitals, bridges, roads, railway lines, power plants, refineries, and petrochemical facilities, clear examples of war crimes.
The president of the United States had earlier made a dangerous and shameless statement saying that he intends to destroy Iran’s historical civilization and return it to the Stone Age. As Your Holiness has noted, such remarks stem from the illusion of absolute power and are rooted in arrogance, bullying, excessive ambition, and attempts to resolve disputes through unrestrained violence, conduct that the human conscience cannot comprehend or tolerate.
The destructive approach of the United States and the Israeli regime and their illegitimate attacks are not directed solely against Iran, but rather against the rule of law at the global level, international law, human values, and the teachings of divine religions. It is evident that the costs of such a dangerous approach will be borne by the entire international community.
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Your Holiness,
The Iranian nation, including Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, has lived side by side for centuries in its ancient homeland in peace and tranquility and has maintained peaceful coexistence and tolerance with its neighbors, including those on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf, based on historical, cultural, and religious bonds. However, the presence of US military bases in the territories of Persian Gulf countries, which unfortunately were used in the recent war to carry out aggression and attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran, compelled the Armed Forces of my country, within the framework of legitimate defense and in response to aggression, to target the objectives and interests of the aggressors within the territories of those countries. This is while, as history testifies, we have never threatened or encroached upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our neighbors and we continue to seek the best relations with all our neighbors and to live in peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.
The current situation in the Strait of Hormuz is also the result of the unlawful attacks by the aggressors and their use of the territory and airspace of the Persian Gulf littoral states to carry out attacks against Iran, as well as the naval blockade imposed on Iran by the United States. It is evident that once the present state of insecurity is resolved, conditions for navigation in the Strait of Hormuz will return to normal. Iran will also implement effective and professional monitoring and control mechanisms, within the framework of international law, in order to strengthen secure arrangements for transit through this strategic waterway.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has always demonstrated its commitment to diplomacy and peaceful solutions for resolving issues, including with the administration of the United States. For this purpose, despite the repeated betrayals of that administration toward negotiation and diplomacy, Iran welcomed Pakistan’s mediation and has entered the Islamabad negotiations sincerely and professionally. Iran’s steadfastness in the face of the unlawful demands of the US administration is, in fact, a defense of international law and of the lofty values of humanity. Therefore, the international community is expected to adopt a realistic and fair approach and to confront the unlawful demands and the adventurous and dangerous policies of the United States.
I would like, once again, to express the appreciation of the government and people of Iran for Your Holiness’s approach based on “just peace,” and to emphasize that the Islamic Republic of Iran, while preserving its right to legitimate self-defense, remains sincerely committed to dialogue and to resolving problems through peaceful means in accordance with law and ethics.
Masoud Pezeshkian
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Source: President.ir
