Iran-Israel War: Amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday pushed back against international 'mediation efforts', stating that any country trying to broker a ceasefire should focus on who started the conflict, a likely reference to the United States and Israel, not on Iran.

Iranian President Tells Mediators To Focus On 'Who Started The Conflict'

In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Pezeshkian acknowledged that some countries had initiated mediation efforts between the US-Israel alliance and Iran. Clarifying Tehran's stance, Pezeshkian said that Iran is "committed to lasting peace" in West Asia, but insisted that any mediation efforts should be focused on those who he accused of "underestimating the Iranian people and igniting this conflict," rather than at Iran.

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"Some countries have initiated efforts for mediation. Our response to them is clear: We are committed to lasting peace in the region, but we have no hesitation in defending the dignity and authority of our country. Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict," he wrote on X.

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The statement signals that Iran is unlikely to respond positively to mediation efforts framed around curbing its own military response and instead wants international pressure to be redirected to the United States and Israel.

Pezeshkian refrained from naming which countries had reached out to Tehran with mediation efforts or directly identifying those he held responsible for igniting the conflict. However, his reference to "those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict" appeared to be a pointed allusion to the United States and Israel, who launched coordinated military strikes on Iran, escalating tensions across the Middle East.

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US-Israeli Strikes On Iran

The conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran's nuclear programme, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In response, Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US military bases in the region, escalating tensions across the Middle East.


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