Iran, Holy See ambassador: “Pope should condemn U.S.-Israel attack”

Vatican City (Vatican), Feb 28 (LaPresse) – “As ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Holy See, I strongly expect the Vatican authorities, in particular His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, to condemn this clear aggression based on religious teachings and to officially recall their constant appeals for the promotion of peace and justice in the world and the fight against violence, which constitute the ancient message of the prophets and the sacred texts.” This was stated to LaPresse by the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Holy See, Mohammad Hossein Mokhtari. “At this delicate stage of the international situation,” he added, “in which threats, intimidation, war, bloodshed, injustice, and expansionism by arrogant powers seriously endanger peace and peaceful coexistence, it is the duty of all religious leaders and followers of different religions to adopt concrete and constructive initiatives to raise global public awareness.” “With great regret, our beloved country, Iran, was this morning the target of an aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime. Iran’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty were openly violated, and several civilian sites in different cities of our country were subjected to brutal attacks. The military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran took place while Iran and the United States were engaged in diplomatic negotiations. The Iranian people and government used all their capacities to prevent the outbreak of war, but it was the United States and the Zionist regime that violated paragraph 4 of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, openly carrying out air attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” added the ambassador.