WANA (May 16) – Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for what he described as the pontiff’s “ethical, rational, and fair” stance regarding recent U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran.

 

In a message addressed to the head of the Catholic Church, the Iranian president conveyed his “warm and sincere greetings” and thanked him for his position on what he called a second U.S. attack carried out “in the midst of negotiations between Iran and the United States,” under “false pretexts” and “in clear violation of international law,” with Israel’s cooperation.

 

Pezeshkian also referred to recent remarks by the U.S. president, who reportedly said he intended to “destroy Iran’s ancient civilization and turn it back into the Stone Age.”

 

The Iranian president described those comments as “dangerous and shameless,” arguing that they reflected — as the Catholic leader had also noted — “an illusion of absolute power rooted in arrogance, coercion, and excessive ambition, as well as an attempt to resolve disputes through unrestrained violence,” something he said “human conscience cannot comprehend or tolerate.”

 

The Iranian president further stated that the actions of the United States and Israel were not directed solely against Iran, but also against “the rule of law in the international arena, international law, human values, and the teachings of divine religions.”

 

He warned that the consequences of such a “dangerous approach” would not be limited to Iran, but would ultimately affect the entire international community.