Haniyeh was assassinated on July 31 while he was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Pezeshkian.
In a phone call with the Vatican's Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Monday, Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s core stance on the need to prevent war and bloodshed and promote global peace and security. But he said Iran has the right to defend itself against any act of aggression.
He commended Vatican’s support for the establishment of peace and stability in the world and called for its more active role to end Israel’s crimes in Gaza, lift its blockade and dispatch aid to the war-ravaged people through consultations with international forums and human rights organizations.
The Iranian president said Israel’s genocidal war, its cowardly acts of assassination in regional countries and attacks on hospitals and schools sheltering the displaced are among the regime’s criminal actions.
It is regretful that the nations’ expectation to force Israel to end its unprecedented crimes and massacre in Gaza remain unanswered after 10 months, Pezeshkian said.
He said the US and certain Western countries, backed by international organizations, keep silent in the face of Israel’s aggression and have emboldened the regime to commit crimes, assassination and genocide.
The brutal Israeli campaign of genocide enjoys unreserved military and political support on the part of the regime’s Western allies, not least the United States and France.
The Vatican's secretary of state, for his part, hailed President Pezeshkian’s call for boosting constructive interaction with the world and promoting international peace and stability.
Parolin said Vatican supports Iran’s efforts to promote interaction and convergence among the countries in the region and across the world.