Pres. Pezeshkian:

We must stand united against genocidal Israeli aggression

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the Iranian people need unity and amity more than ever and must join hands and stand firmly against the aggression of the genocidal Israeli regime.

News ID: ۲۰۰۱۴۳۸

16 June 2025

Pezeshkian made the remarks during a parliamentary session on Monday, where he condemned the criminal assaults of the Israeli regime in the martyrdom of several Iranian military commanders and scientists, as well as dozens of civilians, Press TV reported.

“The enemy cannot remove us or our nation from the scene through violence, killings, and assassinations,” Pezeshkian said, adding, “For every hero who falls, hundreds more will rise to carry the flag and stand against the oppression, injustice, crimes, and betrayal committed by these aggressors.”

“This is what our people have consistently demonstrated—standing strong in the face of all such atrocities,” he said.

The president called for national unity, stressing that Iran is not the aggressor in this war. “Today, more than ever, we need solidarity and cohesion. All Iranians must come together and stand firmly against this act of aggression. Whatever differences or problems exist must be set aside now. We must unite and resolutely confront this genocidal criminal aggression.”

Pezeshkian said that Iran has the right to benefit from nuclear energy and research that serve the nation’s interests, and added that no one has the right to deny this right to the Islamic Republic.

“We stand firm in achieving this right and fear no power in securing what is rightfully ours. We have extended a hand of brotherhood to all Islamic nations, for they are all our brothers. Today, most, if not all, of them stand with us and by our side,” he further said.

The US is resorting to bullying, violating international norms by allowing Israel to attack and invade our country, he said, underscoring that Iran has never sought war nor initiated it.

Attributing the assassination of senior Iranian commanders and scientists to the Israeli terrorists, he asks, “What crime did a scientist commit to deserve being murdered, along with his family, by someone from the other side of the world?"

The Israeli regime assassinated numerous Iranian military commanders, scientists, and martyred civilians, including women and children, early Friday morning.

Among those martyred are Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces; IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami; Brigadier General AmirAli Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC Aerospace Division; senior IRGC commander General Gholam Ali Rashid; and Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi, head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization.

Nuclear scientists Dr. Fereydoon Abbasi, Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, and Dr. Abdolhamid Minoucher were also martyred in separate attacks.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched several waves of retaliatory strikes – the eighth since Friday –against the occupied Israeli territories as part of “Operation True Promise III.”

In a statement after the latest phase of Operation True Promise III ended, the IRGC described the Monday morning strikes as “more powerful and crushing” than all the previous phases./mehr