Pope Leo XIV calls on nations to return to dialogue

Iranian media have reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of other high ranking officials were killed in yesterday's joint Israeli - US attack on Iran. Also reported to have been killed in the so-called preemptive attack were Defense Minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh and the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, General Abdol Rahim Mousavi, as well as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who served as Iranian president from 2005 until 2013.

The US-Israeli attack and the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's assassination has evoked reactions from around the world. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called it a grave violation of Iran's sovereignty and security, while Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned Khamenei's assassination as a violation of all norms of human morality and international law.

In Sunday’s Angelus Pope Leo XIV called on nations to remember their moral responsibility to seek peace, and warned of immense tragedy if the violence escalates out of control: "It is with deep concern that I follow events in the Middle East and Iran in these dramatic times. Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue. Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I address to the parties involved a heartfelt appeal to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss. May diplomacy recover its role and may the good of peoples be promoted, peoples who long for peaceful coexistence founded on justice."

For their part European leaders expressed hope that the assassination could pave the way for more freedom to the Iranian people. European Commission Vice-President and the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, made this post on social media:

"The death of Ali Khamenei is a defining moment in Iran’s history. What comes next is uncertain. But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape. I'm in contact with partners, including those in the region that bear the brunt of Iran’s military actions, to find practical steps for de-escalation."

Meanwhile, the Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Ministry has condemned Iran's retaliatory attacks on Persian Gulf countries, saying that it is closely monitoring the status of Croatians living in the Middle East. There are roughly ten Croatian citizens in Iran, and about twenty Croatian tourists and pilgrims in Israel, as well as some one hundred dual citizens. Among the Croatians in Israel is Monika Vuletić: "The situation is tense, but no one is panicking. Security measures are heightened and everyone is following the official directives. When they sound the alarm people know the procedure, and react calmly. For now the city is functioning, but you can feel the trepidation."

Source: HRT