Iran seeks Pope’s intervention on middle East war

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on Pope Francis to use his influence with Christian governments to halt the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Pezeshkian urged the Pope to encourage world leaders, particularly Christian nations, to take action and stop the continued violence of the Israeli regime.

“Encourage world leaders, especially Christian governments, to prevent the continuation of the aggression by the criminal Israeli regime,” he said.

In a message delivered by an Iranian delegate on behalf of the president during a religious dialogue event at the Vatican on Wednesday, Pezeshkian emphasized that Iran was ready to engage constructively with the Vatican to promote global peace and justice.

The Muslim nation’s call for intervention comes amid growing international concern over the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, alongside Pope Francis’ recent, more direct criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Last week, the Catholic leader suggested that the global community should examine whether Israel’s military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide against the Palestinian people, marking his most explicit criticism of Israel’s conduct in its year-long war.

Tehran and the Holy See have maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1954, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in 2022 shared a message to Pope Francis lauding his “stances on consolidating relations between Islam and Christianity.