Iran seeks peace but will respond decisively to any aggression, President says

Pezeshkian made the remarks while receiving credentials from Pierre Couchard, France’s new ambassador to Iran, on Monday.

While expressing hopes for expanded cooperation based on mutual respect, the president criticized Western countries, adding that despite Iran’s pursuit of domestic unity and global engagement – particularly under the 14th administration – Western countries disrupt this path through false propaganda and nuclear accusations.

Pezeshkian said, “We demand our rights within international frameworks and have accepted the most stringent nuclear monitoring. While open to engagement, we will never relinquish our nation’s legitimate rights.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the President condemned the unprecedented crimes committed by the Israeli regime against the people of Gaza and criticized European inaction. He added, “What justification is there for children dying from bombardment or starvation? Are newborns considered terrorists? We expect France to take a more effective role in stopping these atrocities.”

Couchard, for his part, said that France remains committed to maintaining open channels of dialogue and diplomacy, while working to strengthen mutual trust. “In keeping with this principle, we maintained operations at our Tehran embassy even during the 12-day war period,” he added.

Referring to the diverse areas of potential cooperation between the two countries, he expressed his country’s keen interest in expanding bilateral relations, emphasizing, “France firmly believes that dialogue remains the sole path to resolving differences, including on the nuclear issue. We believe that diplomacy requires time and patience to yield results”.