Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on Sunday that while Iran does not seek conflict with Israel, it is prepared to respond to recent air strikes on its military sites. “We do not seek war, but we will defend the rights of our nation and country,” Pezeshkian said during a cabinet meeting, promising an “appropriate response” to what he described as the aggression of the “Zionist regime.”
The Israeli air strikes on Iranian military sites came on Saturday, following an Iranian attack on October 1 in retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander. In response, Israel warned Tehran against escalating the situation further.
Pezeshkian attributed the rising regional tensions to Israel’s “aggression” and US support, stressing that continued Israeli “crimes” would likely lead to broader regional instability. He further claimed that the United States had previously promised to end the conflict if Iran showed restraint but had not kept its word.
Iran has called for an end to the Gaza conflict, which began with an October 7 attack on Israel last year by Hamas, a group backed by Tehran. Additionally, Iran supports other regional armed groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been in active conflict with Israeli forces for the past month following a period of low-intensity exchanges.