Pezeshkian issues peace appeal to Middle East

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that Muslim states should not allow their territories to be used to launch attacks against other Muslim nations.

The Iranian president said defending the country is a legitimate right and is not an act of hostility toward neighboring countries.

“Defending Iran does not mean hostility toward Muslim nations or neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian said.

The head of state also reiterated Iran’s position that the country’s neighbours should not be used to launch attacks against it.

“No Islamic country should allow its territory to be used as a launchpad for aggression against another Islamic country. No Islamic country should seek its own security through the insecurity of its neighbors,” he said in an address broadcast on Iranian state television during the 40th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran.

"Iran did not start the war in the region, but stood firmly against the aggressors," Pezeshkian said.