Iran 'remains committed to diplomacy,' president tells pope

In message to Pope Leo XIV, Iranian president appreciates Catholic leader's 'moral stance on recent military aggressions against Iran'

Iran "remains committed to diplomacy and peaceful solutions," the country's President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a message to Pope Leo XIV, Iranian state media reported on Saturday. Pezeshkian also expressed Tehran's appreciation for the Catholic leader's "moral and logical stance on the recent military aggressions against Iran," according to the IRNA news agency. Iran targeted the goals of the US and Israel "within the framework of legitimate defense," the president said, calling on the international community to "act responsibly against America's illegal actions." Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28. In response, Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely.