Iranโs President Masoud Pezeshkian has sent a direct message to neighbouring Arab countries, saying Iran respects their sovereignty but was forced to respond after attacks by the United States and Israel. In a post on X, Pezeshkian said Iran had tried to avoid war through talks and diplomacy. However, he said the US-Israel military action left Tehran โwith no choiceโ but to defend itself.
โDear leaders of our friendly and neighbouring countries, we tried, with your support, to prevent war through diplomacy. But the American-Zionist attack left us no option except self-defence. We respect your sovereignty and believe peace in the region should be protected by the countries of the region,โ he wrote. His statement comes as the conflict between Iran and the US-Israel alliance enters its sixth day.
War intensifies at sea
The situation has grown more serious after a US submarine attacked and sank an Iranian naval vessel in the Indian Ocean. The ship, identified as IRIS Dena, went down near Sri Lanka. According to Sri Lankaโs Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, the navy received distress signals from the vessel, which had around 180 people on board. Rescue teams recovered 87 bodies and saved 32 survivors.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the strike as historic, saying it was the first time since the Second World War that the US had sunk an enemy ship using a torpedo.
Iranโs Supreme Leader Khameneiโs death
The conflict sharply escalated after Iranโs Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Saturday.ย Following Khameneiโs killing, President Pezeshkian addressed the nation and said Iranโs armed forces would โdisappoint the enemiesโ and were already targeting enemy bases.
He also announced the formation of an interim leadership council to manage affairs during this period. The council includes Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.
Iranโs Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said a new supreme leader could be chosen within โone or two days.โ
Iranโs leaders have taken a tough stand since the strikes. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned in a televised address that the US and Israel had โcrossed our red lineโ and would pay the price. Earlier, Pezeshkian called Khameneiโs killing a โdeclaration of war against Muslimsโ and said avenging his death was both a right and a duty of the Islamic Republic.
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