Pezeshkian says Iran does not seek war with Israel but vows “an appropriate response”

“We do not seek war, but we will defend the rights of the people and the nation, and we will give an appropriate response to the Zionist entity’s aggression,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday.

The Iranian president warned tensions would escalate if Israel “continues its aggression and crimes” and accused the United States of “provoking the regime into committing these crimes”.

On Saturday, the Iranian Air Defense Forces said in a statement that the country’s integrated air defense system successfully intercepted and countered the Israeli strikes targeting military locations in Tehran, Khuzestan, and Ilam provinces.

The attacks caused limited damage in some locations and the dimensions of the incident are under investigation, the statement added.

The Iranian Army also announced that four of its servicemen had been martyred in the raids.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has also condemned the Israeli assault as a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, reiterating the country’s right to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression.