President of France Emmanuel Macron called his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday to ask Tehran to show self-restraint in the wake of the Israeli assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh.
In response, Pezeshkian emphasized that Iran considers efforts to establish global peace and security and the avoidance of war as its basic principles, but will not remain silent on the violation of its national security and interests (and will act) within the framework of international law.
The Iranian president noted that the Zionist regime seeks to ignite war in the region by committing crimes against Gaza and assassinating the head of the political bureau of Hamas, who was in Tehran as a guest.
Pezeshkian further lashed out at the US and other Western governments for sponsoring the Zionist regime’s genocidal crimes and acts of terror instead of condemning them.
He reiterated that Iran reserves the right to an appropriate response to the Israeli regime.
“With a contradictory and dual approach, the US and Western countries support a regime that does not honor any international law and regulation and has not refrained from taking any criminal act in the region,” the Iranian president noted, saying the unfortunate paradox is that the Westerners call on the countries that have been victims of Israeli crimes to exercise self-restraint and avoid retaliatory response.
If the US and other Western governments are truly trying to prevent regional war and insecurity, they will have to prove their intention by halting support and arms sales to the Zionist regime and forcing Israel to stop genocidal attacks on Gaza and agree on a ceasefire, Pezeshkian told Macron.
Haniyeh, who was in Tehran to attend the new Iranian president’s swearing-in ceremony, was martyred in an Israeli operation in the early hours of July 31.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has warned the Israeli regime of a "harsh response" for Haniyeh's assassination, calling it the Islamic Republic's duty to avenge the Palestinian resistance leader's blood.