Iranian President Thanks Pope Leo XIV for Stance Against US-Israeli Attacks
Iran’s president praised Pope Leo XIV’s position regarding the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, while reaffirming Tehran’s commitment to diplomacy and peaceful solutions
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has thanked Pope Leo XIV for what he described as the Vatican’s moral stance against the recent US-Israeli attacks on Iran, while stressing that Tehran remains committed to peaceful and diplomatic solutions.
On Saturday, Iranian media published a letter sent by Pezeshkian to the pope in which the Iranian president expressed appreciation for the Vatican’s position during the recent conflict.
“I value your moral and logical stance regarding the recent military attacks against Iran,” Pezeshkian wrote in the letter.
The Iranian president said the US and Israeli attacks were “not only against Iran, but against the sovereignty of law and human values.”
Pezeshkian also stated that the people of Iran, including “Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians,” had lived together peacefully for centuries on the basis of historical, cultural, and religious ties.
He added, however, that the presence of US military bases in regional countries, from which attacks against Iran were launched, had forced Iranian armed forces to respond.
In another part of the letter, Pezeshkian said Iran had targeted the interests of what he described as aggressors within the framework of legitimate self-defense.
The Iranian president further emphasized that Tehran remains committed to resolving disputes through peaceful and diplomatic means, while expressing hope that the international community would act responsibly regarding what he described as unlawful US actions.
Vatican criticism during the war
During the war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, the pope repeatedly criticized US actions and described threats against the Iranian people as unacceptable.
At the beginning of April, following a call by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urging prayers for American soldiers, the pope said in a speech: “The desire for dominance is incompatible with the message of Jesus Christ.”
The exchange comes amid continuing regional tensions following the war that erupted on February 28, 2026, between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance.