Iran’s president says Tehran did not start war, defends country’s right to respond to US-Israeli attacks

ISTANBUL

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that Iran did not start the current war with the US and Israel, defending his country’s right to respond to attacks by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran, as fighting between the warring rivals continues unabated.

In a statement on the US social media company X, Pezeshkian said he spoke over the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I emphasized that Iran did not begin this atrocious war. Defending against invasion is a natural right, in which we are good at,” he said.

“Using the American bases against Iran in the region, with the purpose of disturbing our relations with our neighbors, should be stopped.”

The Iranian president said regional peace and stability cannot be achieved while disregarding US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not surrender to bullies,” Pezeshkian said.

“We expect the global community to condemn this invasion and convince invaders to respect international laws. Commencing a war in order to conquer, based on false information, is a medieval act in 21st century.”

Pezeshkian described calls for ending the war as “meaningless, until we ensure there will be no more attacks in our land in the future.”

Regional escalation has raged since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran since Feb. 28, killing so far around 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.” Some of these attacks have caused casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including airports, ports and buildings.