NEW YORK: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday accused Israel of deliberately seeking a wider conflict in the Middle East, asserting that Tehran has been deliberately exercising restraint in the hope of securing regional peace.
Speaking at a roundtable with journalists as he attended the UN General Assembly in New York, Pezeshkian emphasized that a wider conflict would benefit no one globally.
“We know more than anyone else that if a larger war were to erupt in the Middle East, it will not benefit anyone throughout the world. It is Israel that seeks to create this wider conflict,” Pezeshkian stated.
His remarks come amid heightened tensions following Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, killing at least 274 people, including 21 children and 39 women, on Monday.
Pezeshkian, who took office in July as a reformist leader of Iran, addressed the volatile situation that has escalated since Hamas launched attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. His inauguration coincided with the assassination of Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, an operation widely attributed to Israel.
While acknowledging pressure from Western nations for Iran to refrain from retaliatory actions, Pezeshkian expressed frustration over the lack of progress toward peace. “We tried to not respond. They kept telling us we are within reach of peace, perhaps in a week or so. But we never reached that elusive peace,” he said.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, Israeli bombardments since October 7 have killed at least 41,455 Palestinians, mostly women and children. The United Nations has deemed these figures reliable.
When asked about whether Iran would escalate its responses to Israeli actions, Pezeshkian refrained from giving a direct answer. “Curiously enough, we keep being labeled as the perpetrator of insecurity. But look at the situation for where it is,” he added.
